VEGETABLES: Bitter Flavor, Sweet Profits

Bored with broccoli? Sick of spinach? Can’t cope with any more kale? For diners with vegetable ennui, a trendy alternative is broccoli rabe, an Italian staple that is catching on with a wider audience. Broccoli rabe (usually pronounced rob) is high in vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber. All its parts — stem, leaf and flower — are edible and have a distinctive, mildly bitter flavor. Most chefs serve it as a side dish, cooked with oil and garlic or tossed with pasta. Says Scott Whitman, sous-chef at San Francisco’s Fog City Diner: “Everyone is more interested in unique foods. Standard broccoli has become too a la truck stop.”

D’Arrigo Bros. of Salinas, Calif., which claims to be the world’s largest producer of the vegetable, has boosted its plantings 40% since 1985. As a specialty vegetable, rabe fetches the dear price of $27 per 20-lb. box at wholesale, vs. $8 for regular broccoli.