Orecchiette with turnip tops (Orecchiette alle cime di rape)

• Difficulty: Easy
• Prep time:  10 mins
• Cooking time: 15 mins
• Serving: 2 people

Ingredients:

TURNIP TOPS 300gr.

Orecchiette Pasta: 300g  fresh pasta (or 200gr dried pasta)

Bread Crumbs: 40 g

Anchovies in oil: 4 fillets

Garlic 1 glove

CHIAROSCURO Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 30 g (from Apulia region)

Salt up to taste

Chili Pepper to taste

Method:

Clean the turnip tops (or use our ready turnip tops Danilo Manco) by removing the outer leaves and taking only the inner leaves and the flower with a small knife (or hands). Once ready, rinse and drain them and set them aside. Meanwhile, put a saucepan with plenty of water, and salt to taste, which will be used to boil the turnip tops afterward.

Pour half of the oil into a large pan and add the breadcrumbs, mix and let it brown over medium heat, until it is well browned, then keep it aside. As soon as the water reaches a boil, boil the turnip tops, they must cook for about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, you can devote yourself to the sauté: in a pan pour the remaining oil, a clove of garlic, poached, chili pepper, and the anchovy fillets drained from the preserving oil. Mix with a wooden scoop to melt the anchovies in a pan; it will take a few minutes to let the sauce flavor and when it is ready, you can remove the garlic and then turn off the heat.

After 5 minutes of cooking the turnip tops, add the orecchiette to the same pot and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir gently, then drain well orecchiette and turnip.  Add them directly to the pan with the EVOO and breadcrumbs, mix well and serve. Drizzle more Chiaroscuro EVOO on top. Buon appetito!