Difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients ( for four people ):
400G of Masseria Terra&Grano orecchiette
for the seasoning
- 500 g of turnip tops
- 2 cloves of garlic
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil
Method
Orecchiette are a type of fresh pasta typical of Puglia: and a fresh pasta made from flour re-milled durum wheat, water and salt. The shape is round and concave and precisely reminiscent of small ones ears. The surface, thanks to the semolina and the way in which they are “pulled”, is rough and this, together with the shape, it ensures that the orecchiette collect the sauce well. The classic recipe calls for a condiment based on turnip tops blanched in water and sautéed in pan with a clove of garlic and extra virgin olive oil. A really simple recipe but perfect in taste.
Orecchiette and turnip tops, variations
You can add other ingredients to this simple condiment. Here are some variations “classic”:
Pasta and turnip tops with anchovies :
heat the extra virgin olive oil with a clove of garlic and in it you simply melt three anchovies; add the boiled turnip tops and cook mix well before seasoning the pasta.
Orecchiette turnip greens and sausage :
always add a garlic while browning the garlic sausage peeled and cut into chunks; when it is well cooked add the turnip tops.
Orecchiette with turnip greens and tomatoes :
prepare a sauce of chopped tomatoes by heating the garlic inside the extra virgin olive oil; to this add 6-7 San Marzano tomatoes in pieces, a few basil leaf and a pinch of salt; cover the pan with a lid and leave to dry for 15 minutes. Add the tops to this sauce and continue with the recipe.
What are turnip tops and how to clean them
Turnip greens are a typical green vegetable of Southern Italy; you can find them at the market with different names: turnip greens, friarielli, broccoli. They are composed of broad and long outer leaves , from small inner leaves and flowers. You can eat leaves, flowers and florets: the largest leaves and stems should be eliminated because they are a bit tough but they can be used, for example, to give flavor of pasta water or broth for some recipes. To clean the turnip greens, you need to remove the hard stems and the thicker leaves and select the flowers and the most tender florets.
