Turnip tops! How can you not talk about Puglia without talking about turnip tops.
But Puglia is all beautiful and it is always beautiful!
Every corner has its own beauty and every season has its own characteristic.
During the winter Puglia has a particular charm, it empties of tourists and fills up with daily life, voices and scents.
Walking in winter through the narrow streets towards lunchtime the smells of the kitchens invade the houses and among the typical first courses there is one that reigns supreme: orecchiette with turnip tops!
Here they are, the protagonists of this dish: turnip tops, those leaves with a delicate but slightly bitter taste.
In Campania they are called friarielli, in Rome broccoletti and in Turin rapini.
Walking through the meadows of Puglia in winter, one often finds oneself immersed in an expanse of little yellow flowers.
These are turnip tops which have now “blossomed” and are no longer edible.
They are harvested and cooked when they are still green. To clean them, select the florets, the flowers and the most tender leaves. Each part should be of an intense green color.
The hard stems and the thicker and larger leaves must be removed.
Once boiled, you can dress them with our EVO oil, garlic, anchovy fillets, chili pepper, salt and pepper and together with orecchiette pasta they are a unique delicacy!
If you have never tried them, you don’t know what you have missed so far!
