Kale Pesto with Fusilli

Summer is many months away, but I find myself dreaming of the bunches of fresh basil I picked from the garden (yes, we have gardens in Brooklyn!) last summer. In an effort to bring a bit of summer sunshine to the kitchen, I made kale pesto instead of classic basil pesto – lacinato kale is one of my favorite fall and winter vegetables. No, it’s not quite basil, but it will do for now, as we wait for the snow to melt and the spring buds to finally open. (Is it just me, or has this winter seemed to last forever?)

I recently had a version of this kale pesto at Franny’s restaurant here in Brooklyn, and of course I got a bug to recreate it in my own kitchen. I think this recipe comes pretty close. I used walnuts because I didn’t have any pine nuts on hand (and I have to admit, they’re not my most favorite of nuts) – but pine nuts could be easily substituted. I would hesitate to use anything but lacinato kale for this recipe – I think curly kale would be far too bitter.

This recipe makes a scant 1/2 cup of pesto or less – you only need a tablespoon or so per serving of pasta. It would also be lovely with grilled chicken or fish.

Ingredients:

1 cup lacinato kale, roughly chopped (about 1 small bunch of kale)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons walnuts, lightly crushed
Kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or less)
2 tablespoons Pecorino-Romano cheese
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Extra cheese for serving (if serving with pasta)

Special Equipment: Food processor

Procedure:

1. Add the kale, garlic, walnuts, and a generous pinch of salt to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a several times to combine.
2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube of the food processor. Depending on the consistency you like, you may not use all of the oil, so pour slowly. Run the machine continuously for a minute or two to obtain a very smooth consistency. Add more oil if the consistency of the mixture isn’t smooth.
3. Add the cheeses and pulse to combine.
4. Taste and correct for salt.

Starters and Nibbles

Spicy Crock-Pot Apple Butter – Serve with cheddar or brie (or any cheese that is cheddar-or-brie-like) and crackers. Can be made several days in advance. Uses the crock-pot, which frees up your stovetop and oven. Would also be a nice sauce with turkey. And a nice host(-ess) gift.

Spicy Crock-Pot Apple Butter

Chicken Liver Mousse – Quick and easy to make. Can be made several days in advance. Serve with toast squares, crackers, or sliced baguette.

Chicken Liver Mousse on a crunchy little toast square

Manchego Cheese, Quince, and Walnut Crostini – Make the quince jam (or buy it) in advance. Toast the bread in advance. Easy to assemble.

Manchego, Quince, and Walnut Crostini

First Course

Easy Golden Beet Soup with Buttery Croutons - Serve as a first course. Beets can be roasted several days in advance. Soup can be made and refrigerated 1-2 days in advance (without the croutons, of course). Swirl a bit of heavy cream or yogurt on top for an elegant little touch. When I make a large meal like Thanksgiving dinner, I serve creamy soups like this in teacups – it’s just the right amount of soup so your guests aren’t stuffed before the main course.

Golden Beet Soup with Buttery Croutons

Quick Breads

Bacon Muffins – quick and easy to bake. Can be made 1 day in advance.

Bacon Muffins

Irish Soda Bread with Brown Butter, Rosemary, and Black Pepper – Quickbread (no yeast) – takes only a few minutes to mix. Can be made 1-2 days in advance.

Irish Soda Bread with Brown Butter, Rosemary, and Black Pepper

Cheddar-Sage Biscuits – Can be made 1 day in advance and re-heated. Sage goes nicely with turkey.

Cheddar Sage Biscuits

Sides

Broccoli Raab with Pecans – can be made 1-2 day in advance and re-heated.

Broccoli Raab with Pecans

Mashed Potatoes - can be made several hours in advance. Hold in a metal bowl over simmering water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Add more cream or milk before serving if the potatoes have dried out a bit.

Mashed Potatoes

Cranberry Sauce with Bourbon – can be made up to a week in advance. Made in the oven so it frees up your stovetop. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cranberry Sauce with Bourbon

Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower – can be made several hours in advance. Pop back in the oven for a few minutes to re-heat. Grate some Parmesan over the cauliflower for a little more richness.

Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower

Kale and Ricotta Salata Salad – believe it or not, this salad can be made several days in advance. Unlike lettuce, the kale is hearty enough to not get slimy under the weight of the vinaigrette. Flavors actually get better if made a day in advance. Can be served cold or at room temperature.

Raw lacitano kale for Kale and Ricotta Salata Salad

Dessert

Apple Pie with Boiled Cider – pie can be made one day in advance. I usually serve apple pie with this Calvados Ice Cream (it’s heaven). You can omit the boiled cider to save time. Add a bit more sugar to compensate.

Apple Pie with Boiled Cider

Bourbon Milkshakes – can’t really be made in advance, but really easy to make using store-bought ingredients. And a perfect ending to your fabulous Thanksgiving meal. Give yourself a round of (bourbon-y) applause!

Bourbon Milkshake

Grilled Shishito Peppers

I’m not afraid to go out on a limb and say that shishito peppers are the most delicious peppers ever in the history of peppers. They are so good I had to cook them up two different ways. The first: a classic method for cooking shishito peppers – toss them in a bit of oil, drop them on a hot grill pan or cast-iron skillet, and cook until hot and blackened in spots. Then toss with a bit of kosher or sea salt. (Wait! I just gave the recipe away! Do I really need to type it up now?) The second method involves a bit of frying. I use a very simple batter to fry up various summer produce, shishito peppers being a recent favorite. The batter results in a crispy exterior that won’t fall off. (Contrary to popular wisdom, I fry in extra virgin olive oil. It tastes good.)  Try the batter for squash blossoms, zucchini rounds, patty pan squash slices, jalepenos…pretty much any kind of summer produce that you can get your hands on.

Shishito peppers are not spicy, so I like to add just a tiny bit of cayenne to the salt after grilling or frying – I like spicy. Of course, this step is entirely optional. Also, you can strain the olive oil after frying and re-use it so as not to waste perfectly good extra-virgin olive oil.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2-3 as an appetizer)

For the pan-roasted peppers:
1 cup (or more) shishito peppers
1 tablespoon (or more) extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Cayenne (optional)

For the fried peppers:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1 cup (or more) shishito peppers
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Cayenne (optional)

Lemon or lime wedges for serving

Special Equipment: Grill pan, cast-iron skillet, or heavy-bottomed pan

Fried Shishito Peppers

Procedure:

For the pan-roasted peppers:

1. Heat your grill pan, cast-iron skillet, or heavy-bottomed pan over very high heat.
2. Toss the peppers with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Drop the peppers on the hot skillet, and cook, turning occationally, until the peppers have softened and are charred in spots.
3. Remove from heat and sprinkle kosher salt and the optional pinch of cayenne over the peppers. Eat piping hot.

For the fried peppers:

1. Put the water in a small bowl. Sift the flour into the water, stirring with a fork or a small whisk until the flour has been entirely incorporated into the water. You should have a mixture as thick as skim yogurt. (If your mixture is too thick or too thin, add a bit more water or flour as needed.)
2. In a medium, heavy-bottomed skillet, add extra virgin olive oil to come about an inch up from the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil is very hot (drop a bit of the batter into the oil – it should immediately turn a golden brown color and start to float to the top of the oil).
3. Dunk the peppers into the batter, letting the excess batter drip back into the bowl. Add the battered peppers to the oil and fry until golden brown, turning halfway through cooking. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook the peppers in batches. (Don’t crowd the pan: it will immediately lower the temperature of the oil and will result in a soggy, not crisp, crust.)
4. Drain on a paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt and the optional cayenne while still hot.
5. Serve very hot with lemon or lime wedges on the side.

Fresh Cranberry Beans

It took me a while to catch on to the beauty and deliciousness of fresh shelling beans. I think I had always been unsure of the best way to cook them, my primary bean experiences having been with the dried and canned varieties. Then I found fresh cranberry beans at my local farmer’s market. I don’t know about you guys, but sometimes I get a little emotional about my food – I mean, these beans were just so beautiful, both in the pod and out. I shed a little tear. (Unfortunately, the beautiful mottled cranberry color of the fresh, uncooked beans gets cooked out, leaving you with a rather boring-looking greyish-cream bean. But the memory of the raw bean lingers on.)

I made a super-simple salad with a bit of arugula, but think of this post as a fresh bean primer – you can alter this recipe in so many ways. Experiment with different types of greens (finely shredded kale would be nice, or chopped endive). Add a chopped fresh chile. Experiment with the types of herbs you use. Add a pinch of cumin and a squeeze of lime juice. Or a squashed anchovy. Pile up on toasted bread rubbed with a clove of garlic. Serve the salad while the beans are still a bit warm, or at room temperature. The possibilities, as they say, are endless.

If you can’t find fresh beans, dried or canned are an acceptable substitution, but I implore you to try to find fresh beans at least once this summer. There is a tremendous difference in texture and I think you’ll like it. Marcella Hazan taught me how to cook fresh beans in her awesome Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. This recipe is loosely based on several of her recipes.

Fresh Cranberry Bean and Arugula Salad

Ingredients:
(Serves 3-4 as an appetizer or side dish)

1 pound fresh cranberry or other fresh beans in the shell
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
The juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime
1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh herbs, finely chopped (either rosemary, sage, chives, parsley, or cilantro)
1 cup baby arugula leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Procedure:

1. Shell the fresh beans. Put the beans in a medium, heavy pot and cover with water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer gently for about an hour, or until the beans are tender. (Note: do not salt the water.)
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, lemon or lime juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
3. Drain the beans and gently rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
4. Toss the beans in the dressing. Taste and correct for salt – you will probably need to add quite a bit more salt at this point. Add the fresh herbs to taste and the baby arugula leaves. Toss very gently to combine. Add a few grindings of black pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Golden Beet Soup with Buttery Croutons

Beets this time of year are so tender and sweet – I bought a bunch the other day at the farmer’s market and they cried out to me, “Please puree me into a velvety soup that tastes decadent but is really (gasp!) quite healthy.” Really, they said that. (And OK, maybe the buttery croutons aren’t 100% healthy, but you could always omit them. I did use multigrain bread.)

I roasted the beets a couple of days before to save time. Roasted, peeled beets will keep in your fridge for at least 2-3 days. You could also omit the thyme and add a dash of garam masala or curry powder, or a touch of cumin. And instead of croutons you could chiffonade some beet greens as a lovely garnish. Or add a swirl of crème fraîche, sour cream, or yogurt. Or a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and perhaps some sunflower seeds? It’s really quite a versatile soup. Oh, and did I mention that it can be served hot or cold?

Using a blender instead of a food processor will result in a much smoother puree.

Ingredients:
(Serves 4 as an appetizer; 2-3 as a main dish)

For the Beet Soup:
3 medium-sized golden beets, washed and trimmed
2 tablespoons coconut or extra virgin olive oil
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
1 large sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed and stem discarded
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups water
Kosher salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
Juice of 1/2 a lime or lemon

For the Buttery Croutons:
2 slices multigrain or whole-wheat bread, crusts removed
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon coconut or extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Special Equipment: Blender or food processor

Procedure:
For the Soup:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Wrap the trimmed beats in tinfoil and roast directly on the rack in the oven for 45 minutes or longer, or until the beets feel tender and are easily pierced with the tip of a pairing knife.
3. Let the beets cool, then slip the skins off and chop into 2-inch chunks.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut or extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery, shallots, and a small pinch of salt and stir to coat. Continue to cook and stir until the celery and shallots soften, about 8-10 minutes. Reduce the heat if the vegetables start to brown.
5. Add the thyme leaves and garlic. Cook and stir for another 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant.
6. Add the chopped beets and the water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and to soften the vegetables further.
7. Remove from heat and puree (in batches, if necessary) in the blender or food processor. (Take care blending hot liquids! Steam can make the blender lid fly off. Trust me.) Check for consistency – if too thick, add a bit more water. (If it’s too thin for your taste, you can always return the puree to a pot and cook over low heat for a few more minutes until the soup is of the consistency you dream of.)
8. Stir in the lime or lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne (to taste). Taste and correct for salt.

For the Croutons:

1. Cut the bread into even-sized cubes as big or small as you like (mine were about 1/2 inch).
2. In a small, heavy saucepan, heat the butter and coconut or extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter stops foaming. Add the bread cubes and a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Cook and stir (or continue tossing) until the bread cubes are crispy and golden brown. Drain briefly on paper towels.

To Serve:

1. Ladle out a serving of soup into a bowl and top with croutons, or with your desired topping of choice (see above).

Roasted Asparagus with Ramp Aioli

Asparagus and egg-y sauces (think hollandaise) are a natural. In this recipe, I’ve paired roasted asparagus with a lemony ramp aioli. Ramps are wild leeks, and have gotten insanely popular in the last few years among chefs and eaters alike, probably due to their sheer deliciousness. They are a traditional food in the Appalachian mountains and in Quebecois cuisine. Ramps taste like a combination of green garlic and onions, with a bit of leek thrown in. Like asparagus, they are a fleeting seasonal vegetable that make their appearance in the spring. If you can’t find ramps, substitute one clove of garlic for the ramp bulbs.

When you make a raw egg preparation like aioli, which is made much like mayonnaise, use the best quality, farm fresh-est eggs you can find. It will make a difference in the a) color of your aioli and b) taste of your aioli. (And when you’re eating raw eggs especially, do you really want to eat eggs that come from a factory farm? You’re just playing with fire, my friends. Playing with fire.) If you don’t have anyone to help you slowly drizzle the olive oil into the egg yolk mixture, you can roll a damp kitchen towel into a ring. Nestle your bowl into the ring – this will keep your bowl from dancing all over the counter top as you’re whisking and drizzling.

Roasting asparagus brings out a sweet-nutty flavor in the vegetable. But first you must trim the asparagus stalks. I have two ways to trim asparagus: the lazy way, and the frugal way. To trim the lazy way: gently bend the asparagus – it will usually snap toward the bottom of the stalk at the point where the asparagus becomes tough. Discard the tough bottom (this tip comes directly from my grandma who has grown her own asparagus on her farm for many years).  To trim the frugal way: cut a thin disk from the bottom of the asparagus. Using a swivel-blade vegetable peeler, trim the outer skin from the asparagus about 2-3 inches up the stalk. Discard the trimmed bits.

Ingredients:

For the Roasted Asparagus:
1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Generous pinch of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Ramp Aioli:
3-4 ramps, whites only (reserve greens for another use) or 1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
1 egg yolk
150 ml extra virgin olive oil (or substitute half of a neutral oil, such as organic canola, to cut down on cost)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. On a small sheet pan, toss the asparagus, olive oil, salt, and a few grindings of black pepper together to coat.
3. Roast in the oven until the asparagus is tender and is just starting to brown, 10-15 minutes. (Check the asparagus frequently – cooking time will depend on the thickness of the asparagus.)
4. Meanwhile, make the aioli: Trim the roots from the ramp bulbs and clean well. Chop into 2-3 pieces. Press the ramp whites in a garlic press (or chop extremely finely) into a medium bowl.
5. Add lemon juice, salt, and optional cayenne. Add egg yolk. Whisk just to combine.
6. In a very slow, steady stream, add the olive oil, whisking continuously. Don’t add to much oil at once, especially at the beginning of the mixing process.
7. Taste and season with additional lemon juice, salt, or cayenne, if necessary. If the aioli is too thick to drizzle, whisk in water, drop-by-drop, until the aioli thins to the consistency you like.
8. Set aioli aside (or put into a squeeze bottle if you want to make your aioli drizzling a little fancier).
9. Remove asparagus from oven, and let cool to just above room temperature.
10. Top the roasted asparagus with the aioli, or serve as a dipping sauce.

Serves 4 as a side dish or appetizer.

Note: Use leftover ramp aioli as a condiment on sandwiches, or as a drizzle for pan-roasted potatoes.

Corn Shoots with Bacon and White Miso Butter

This is a riff off of David Chang’s corn with bacon and miso butter recipe from Gourmet, which happens to be one of the best corn recipes ever. Sadly, corn isn’t in season yet. So, as a way around the lack of springtime corn, I found these amazing little corn shoots at the farmer’s market that the farmer’s sign said had been sprouted from popcorn (wheels are turning, I know – can I do this at home??). They are super sweet and a bit bitter all at once. And they taste like corn! (Shocker!)

The miso butter is delicious on lots of other vegetables – peas, favas, grilled or roasted asparagus, potatoes…actually, so is bacon, now that I think about it.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
4 slices bacon, chopped vertically into thin batons
1 jalapeno, chopped fine (seeds and ribs removed if you don’t like spicy)
2 green onions (white and green parts), sliced thin
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped fine
2 cups corn shoots, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Procedure:

1. In a small bowl, combine the white miso paste and the butter until well blended. Set aside.
2. Add the chopped bacon to a medium, heavy saute pan. Cook over medium heat until the bacon is crispy and has rendered most of its fat.
3. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the chopped jalapeno, and cook and stir for 1-2 minutes, until the jalapeno pieces have just started to soften.
4. Add the green onion slices and the garlic, and cook and stir for 1-2 minutes more.
5. Add the corn shoots, and cook and stir for 1 minute more.
6. Add the miso butter and a grinding of black pepper, and toss to coat. Taste and correct for salt.
7. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-3 as a side.

Winter Vegetable Crostata with Goat Cheese and Thyme

March is so hard. Here in Brooklyn, the weather is starting to warm up, making me think about strawberries, asparagus, ramps, garlic scapes, peas, favas – argh!  Did I mention I’m sick of winter? I’m making lemonade out of lemons here by continuing to celebrate winter’s bounty – yams and winter squash and beets and Jerusalem artichokes and onions, sprinkled with thyme, green onions, and goat cheese, and all baked into a buttery crust. Maybe I’m not ready to say goodbye to winter after all. (OK, that was a lie, I’m totally ready.)

This is one of those recipes that is infinitely adaptable. You could add (or subtract) any number of seasonal vegetables. A couple of thinly sliced and sauteed mushrooms would be nice. Chopped and lightly sauteed cabbage or kale would be good. Marjoram or oregano instead of thyme would be lovely. Roasted potatoes would be delicious. Shallots or garlic would be a tasty addition. Acorn squash instead of kabocha would be delectable. I’m running out of adjectives – but you get the idea. If you can’t get your hands on a good aged balsamic vinegar, you can reduce a cheaper balsamic in a small saucepan for a few minutes until a bit more syrupy.

Serve small wedges as an appetizer or side dish (with roast chicken maybe?), or serve larger slices as a main dish, perhaps with a nice little green salad.

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

Use the basic one-crust pie dough recipe here.
(You can add a bit of whole-wheat pastry flour to the basic recipe if you like.)

For the Filling:

1 small kabocha squash, seeded and cut into eighths or 1 small yam, cut into bit-sized chunks (or use both!)
1 medium red onion, peeled (root left intact) and cut into quarters
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
5-6 small beets, washed and long roots trimmed
Leaves from 2 thyme sprigs
1 large Jerusalem artichoke, scrubbed well and sliced very thin using a mandoline or Japanese slicer
2 green onions (white and green parts), sliced on the bias
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Aged balsamic vinegar, for serving

It's a vegetable rainbow - vegetables for the crostata

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. On a large baking sheet, toss the squash or yam (or both) and the red onion chunks with the extra virgin olive oil, a generous pinch of salt, and a few grindings of black pepper. Wrap the beets in tinfoil.
3. Roast the squash (or yams), the onions, and the beets until tender. The squash and the onions will take between 35-40 minutes (depending on how thick you’ve cut them), while the beets (depending on their size) may take up to an hour and 15 minutes or longer.
4. Remove the vegetables from the oven as soon as they are tender. Cool to room temperature.
5. Peel the squash, if using, and chop the flesh into bite-sized chunks. Separate the onions into “petals”. Peel and slice the beets.
6. Turn up the oven to 425ºF. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat or with parchment paper.
7. Roll out the dough to 13-inches in diameter. In the center of the dough disk, layer the squash, red onions, sliced beets, Jerusalem artichokes, and green onion slices, scattering thyme leaves, goat cheese chunks, and a sprinkling of kosher salt between layers of vegetables.
8. Bring the dough up over the vegetables, creating large folds as you go (it doesn’t have to be terribly exact – this is a rustic tart, after all) leaving an open space in the middle.
9. Transfer crostata to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and the goat cheese is brown in places and bubbly.
10. Grind a bit of black pepper over the crostata. Cut into wedges, and drizzle the vegetable part of the tart with the balsamic vinegar.

Pan-Fried Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup prosciutto, shredded with your fingers
1/2 small onion, or 2 shallots, very thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 head small green cabbage, cored and outer leaves discarded, very thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1-2 Thai chilies (or 1 Serrano chili), thinly sliced
Pinch sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used Champagne vinegar)
3 tablespoons water or chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Procedure:

1. In a large saute pan, add the butter, olive oil, onion or shallot, and prosciutto. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until the onion or shallot is lightly browned, and the prosciutto starts to render its fat.
2. Add the cabbage, the chilies, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a grinding of black pepper. Cook and stir until the cabbage has started to lightly brown in places.
3. Add the vinegar, and cook until it has evaporated.
4. Add the water or stock, and cook until it has evaporated.
5. At this point, the cabbage should be cooked through and tender. The amount of liquid you add will depend on how thinly you sliced the cabbage. You may need to add additional water or stock if your cabbage is cut thickly.
6. Taste and correct for salt. Serve hot.

Broccoli Raab

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 large bunch broccoli raab
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed with the back of your knife and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon zest (Meyer lemon zest is really good if you have on hand)
Kosher salt
Lemon slices for serving (or Meyer lemon slices)

Broccoli Raab with Pecans

Serves: 2-3

Procedure:

1. Toast the pecans in a dry, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until just fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Remove the tough lower stems of the broccoli raab. Pick off and discard any yellowed or wilted outer leaves.
3. In a medium pot, boil 2 quarts of water. Add a generous pinch of kosher salt and the broccoli raab. Boil for 4-5 minutes, or until the stems are just starting to feel tender. Remove the broccoli raab to a bowl, leaving a bit of water clinging to the vegetables.
4. In a large, non-stick skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil and the garlic over medium-high heat until the garlic is golden in color and very fragrant, about 2 minutes (do not let brown!). Add the broccoli raab with a bit of the cooking water still clinging to it, a pinch of kosher salt, and the red pepper flakes.
5. Turn the heat down to medium and saute, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli raab is very tender (this depends on how large and tough the stems are).
6. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans and the lemon zest. Taste and correct for salt.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges on the side.