Broccoli Rabe with Savory Pine Nuts and Meyer Lemon

Savory Toasted Pine Nuts

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or more, to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground dried rosemary
• 1 large pinch of salt
• Ground pepper, to taste

1. In a shallow microwaveable bowl, toss the nuts with the Worcestershire sauce until well distributed. Sprinkle on the rosemary and salt and toss well. (You can also toast these in the oven. See Step 3, below.)
2. Add freshly ground pepper to taste, and toss again. I use white peppercorns because they have a nice fresh taste.
3. Microwave for thirty seconds on high. Remove the bowl immediately, as the pine nuts will continue to cook. Stir them around in the bowl and repeat. (If toasting in the oven, put them in at 400 degrees Farenheit for 45 seconds at a time, removing them promptly and stirring quickly each time, as they will continue to cook on the baking sheet after being removed from the oven.)
4. Continue until the pine nuts are generally toasty brown. Don't worry about toasting every last one of them.
5. Watch them carefully, lest they burn. Pine nuts go quickly from a lovely brown to inedible, so please don't allow yourself to be distracted.
6. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
7. I recommend making these in the microwave because you can better take advantage of the sweet and spicy solids left by the Worcestershire sauce as it dries out during the cooking process. In a bowl, you can more effectively recover that flavorful residue, to use in coating the pine nuts.

The Rabe Side

• Broccoli Rabe, as much as you want to serve
• A few short glugs of good olive oil, to taste
• 1 medium anchovy
• 1/4 cup of Savory Toasted Pine Nuts per half pound of broccoli rabe, or more or less to taste
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice, or vinegar (white balsamic, champagne or white wine) for sprinkling
• The best finishing salt you have
• Ground pepper to taste

1. Blanch the broccoli rabe for about two minutes in salted boiling water. Immediately drain and plunge in cold water; run more cold water over it to keep that cold water bath cold. Drain the rabe again and set aside.
2. A minute or two before you're ready to serve, put the drained rabe in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir gently to release the water clinging to the rabe. You want that to create just a bit of steam in which to warm the rabe.
3. Push the rabe aside in the pan and put the anchovy wiht a bit of olive oil in the bald spot. Cook it for 20 or 30 seconds, touching it gently with your spoon once it looks like it's melting a bit. Add a bit more olive oil and stir it well to combine with the anchovy. Sprinkle on the Savory Toasted Pine Nuts. Toss well to coat the rabe in the anchovy and olive oil dressing, and to mix in the pine nuts.
4. Immediately before serving (and I mean immediately), sprinkle the lemon juice over the rabe and pine nuts. If you do this in advance, it will turn the rabe a yellowish brown color, so wait until you are actually going to serve this to add the lemon juice.
5. Toss gently, test for salt, and correct if necessary. Grind some fresh pepper on, if you like it.
6. Enjoy!! ;o)