Rape (Turnip greens)
- Preparation time: 20 minutes.
- Cooking time: 20 minutes.
- 2kg turnip heads or leaves
- 50g streaky bacon, in one piece
- 4tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Salt
- Chili pepper.
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For perfect results the vegetable greens must be properly prepared and cleaned. Remove the large, tough yellow leaves and the stalks. You should have about 1.5 kg of leaves after discarding and cleaning.
Wash carefully and chop them; warm the oil and garlic in a large saucepan and add the chopped leaves.
Add a glass of water, salt and pinch of chili pepper. Cover and leave to cook over a medium heat for twenty minutes until the water evaporates completely. Taste and adjust for salt before serving. You might sometimes be able to buy the turnip leaves on their own. If so, clean trim and wash them, put into boiling, salted water and cook for about thirty minutes; after draining thorougly, sautè in oil with garlic and chili pepper.
The Anonimo Toscano wrote "On turnips. Cut the heads of the turnips off, then chop them and boil in water".
