broccolini vs. broccoli rabe - demystified

In the past year, I discovered broccolini, a most wonderful vegetable. When trying to explain broccolini to those who haven't discovered it yet, I am often given baffled looks or directed to the broccoli rabe section of the grocery store. So, here is some clarification.
Brocolini is a cross between broccoli and some Chinese vegetable ( I have heard it's Chinese kale as well as chard, and also that it is a relative of bok choi...nonetheless, broccoli is crossed with some Chinese vegetable). The part I am interested in is the appearance and the Taste! It has long stalks with bushy heads that look like broccoli florets. The stalks are said to resemble asparagus, but I don't see that resemblance :o) It also has long thin leaves.
Istockphoto has some nice images:








Broccoli rabe, on the other hand, looks like a big bush: image








So, the motivation for writing about this was that I fell in love with broccolini, and I saw some broccoli rabe at the Italian deli, and I thought, hmm, that would be good, relating the two in my head. Well, broccoli rabe is broccoli rabe, and it hasn't changed: it's still bitter with that weird taste. Broccolini falls somewhere in between all these green vegetables, taking the texture of broccoli as well as the texture of asparagus stalks with an un-bitter taste all of its own.

My favorite broccolini recipe is boiling the broccolini in just enough water to cover it to soften it. Pour off the water. Then heat up olive oil & garlic & roll the broccolini in it until it coats it. Add some S & P and whatever else you like, and there you go!