Charred Broccoli Rabe With Ajo Blanco Sauce

Roasted in oven because i can't be bothered to char 3 lbs of broccolini in a pan. It was still delicious! Could use some more vinegar in the ajo.

This recipe is solid. I didn’t have cashews in the house so I used almonds. I also added some tahini to the purée as it was kind of lacking… tahini made a big difference. I couldn’t really get the texture of the pure right either, but the flavor was on point. I served this as a side with a ribeye steak and cooked the broccoli rabe in the pan with the beef fat while the steak was resting. It was absolutely delicious.

Am I the only person who ended up with a gluey mess instead of ajo blanco? What did I do wrong 😭

Used almonds instead of cashews. The lemon was a hit. Mellow garlic flavor.

I found the Ajo sauce a bit underwhelming. I might try roasting the garlic instead of boiling

Cooked as written. The ajo blanco sauce is overwhelmed by cashews--there's no ajo flavor to speak of. All of the nuts also make the sauce anything but blanco....rather more of an unappetizing barfy-tan. Last, despite using both a high-powered blender and an immersion blender, the sauce's consistency was not smooth, which added to its poor appearance and made for an unappealing mouth feel.

thank you for the gluten free comments! i have had a similar dish made w potato. and generally like Udi’s GF bread and find trader joe’s while economical, too sweet.

Three pounds of rabe is way too much for 4 servings!

Celiac disease isn’t an allergy to wheat or gluten. It is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder in which the body is unable to break down the polypeptides found in gluten-containing grains and their products.

Family loves broccoli rab so I make it often. Not necessary to blanch it. Why waste a pot which you have to wash? Cut lower tough stem then chop slice whichever way you like ( we live it chopped up into bite size pieces ) and throw into hot sizzling oil have a splatter screen nearby …toss around w salt red pepper flakes, silk chili etc . sometimes I ad. butter because we live butter.

All cashews, as in a cashew cream, could be subbed for the small amount of bread it’s no problem!

For a gluten free version, which I would make myself as I have celiac, I would use Schar’s baguette. It would work perfectly and no one will know it’s not a wheat bread. Another baguette I love and my non celiac guests love, too, is made by Against the Grain. I heat up the whole baguette for around 8 minutes at 400°F then slice or toast slices before serving. I’m telling you, your wheat-eating family & guests will gobble it up. But I think Schar’s is better for this particular recipe.

Also, in response to the suggestion that only people with “true anaphylactic reactions” to gluten should need to be accommodated—that’s simply not true. I have celiac, and my reaction to gluten isn’t anaphylaxis but brain fog, joint pain, and damage to my intestine that causes malabsorption of vitamins and minerals. Others with celiac or gluten intolerance may suffer severe gi symptoms. “A little” gluten is too much gluten for people like me or those with gluten intolerance. Please believe us.

I am so excited for this—I eat broccoli rabe at least once a week! **This would go great alongside a Spanish tortilla.** I am not GF but second the use of Ezekiel bread (the GF version) as an option—just discovered the brand sold @ TJ’s makes sprouted pasta & must hunt some down!!

To the person looking for a gf version, how about cooked potatoes? I know some people add these to toum, even though it’s not traditional.