Cime di Rapa, Jerusalem Artichokes, Egg & Red Pepper
Simple, light and delicious, this combination of tender dime di rapa (or broccoli rabe), steamed together with Jerusalem artichokes (or sun-chokes OR topinambur, depending where you live!) and a simple fried egg, sprinkled with some crushed red pepper-corns, was a perfect light supper!
This was super-easy to make, as I decided to steam the greens and the topinambur, which meant that I had a whole half an hour to relax and did not to be stood at the stove top! Which was also nice for a change!
Sometimes, it is the simple things that we like the most! Like the pure, simple, classic flavor of a perfectly fried egg- boring? I don't think so! Some things just can not be, or do not need to be improved... and this is one of them!
For my supper this evening, I needed 2 tender stalks of cime di rapa, 3 small Jerusalem artichokes and 1 egg. Yep! That's all folks! You really do not need anything more!
It was a simple meal for sure- but it was flavorful, healthy and different- and those are 3 excellent reasons to enjoy!
The Jerusalem artichokes were simply peeled and then quartered.
I also split the stems of the cime di rapa into quarters, in order to let them steam more quickly- the leaves soon wilt-down and soften-up, but the stalks take a little bit longer.
I put the chokes and the rapa into a bamboo steamer and gave them a good 30 minutes in order to have them nice and tender.
After 30 minutes, the chokes were slightly translucent and the rapa had become a rich, vibrant green. Both were tender but both had a nice bite to them still... yours may take a little more or a little less time to cook depending on their size- but all you need to do is to prick them with a fork to find out! This is cooking- not rocket science!
Season them with salt whilst they are still steaming away- this will let it dissolve and be absorbed better. Allow them to cool off a little and for any excess water to drain off before the next step...
Whilst the vegetables cool off, crack and grind a good pinch or red pepper corns in a mortar and pestle- just for a little color and a slightly different taste to the regular black. Why not?
Fry the greens and the Jerusalem artichokes in a little olive oil, with a hint of crushed garlic if you like, at a good high heat until they get nicely browned. Try a little, just to see if they are doing fine for salt, otherwise season accordingly.
As soon as the chokes and greens are ready, serve them up decoratively on a plate, leaving space for the egg, which you can crack into the pan whilst you do so... it will be ready and good to go by the time you are done!
Beautiful, fresh and tender Cime di Rapa... delicious!
A generous sprinkle of red pepper corns is all you need to let each individual flavor shine through for itself! This is a perfect combination- and that rich, golden yolk makes it all the better! Enjoy!
I would call that a pretty perfect plate of food!
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