Rapini with Vin Cotto

Jenny is in perpetual search for easy, weeknight recipes to attempt to feed her family. When they balk, she just eats more.

Today: A dish to tune out the din inside your soul.

I am not a giant fan of DC restaurants, which tend to be overpriced and lacking in deliciousness. One place my family and I do enjoy frequenting is 2Amy’s Pizza, a Neapolitan place not far from our house. 

2Amy’s is too loud, doesn’t take a reservation and their pizza crust can be undercooked -- a concession, I suspect, to their enormous volume.

But I return happily each time for the little side dishes: divine anchovies served with bread and good butter; the best polpettine ever; a delicious little orange salad and great rapini. I gnaw away at all this while sipping a glass of rosé, tuning out the din of the restaurant and the frustrations of the week. 

So I was excited to see that em-i-lis not only loves the Rapini with Vin Cotto at 2Amy’s, she invented her own version! 

She has substituted wine with balsamic vinegar; you don’t need to use your best stuff for this as it is reduced greatly with sugar. Watch your heat, as ever. Make sure your rapini hits the pan dry after its boiled bath, so there is no steaming. Be generous with your sauce; it is the key here. 

This is a great side dish for some meatballs of your own, or just as a snack with bread, as our author suggests. Pour some wine. Tune out the din inside your soul.

Rapini with Vin Cotto by em-i-lis

Serves 4

For the vin cotto

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

For the rapini

1 pound rapini (broccolini), washed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, left whole
2 peperoncino intero (about 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, fresh ones!), halved
generous pinch kosher salt 

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by James Ransom