Our local green grocer calls turnip tops ‘Jimmy the Rapper’ – not a surprising nickname when you learn that the Italian for turnip tops is ‘cime di rapa’. Sarah Raven and Franchi certainly sell seeds with this name which are grown for the tops, not the roots. A good alternative is to use tenderstem broccoli.

In Italy (and on line) a pesto of cime di rapa can be bought in jars but the most famous Italian dish using using these tops is a pasta dish from Puglia, Orecchiette con le Cime di Rapa.

As in all simple Italian dishes, the quality of the ingredients is vital. Use only virgin olive oil and the freshest vegetables. Some recipes cook the cime di rapa with the pasta and others cook it in the oil with the garlic and chillies.  A third way is to cook some of the turnip tops in the oil and some in the water. Orecchiette are ‘little ears’ shaped pasta. Of course, freshly made is best but it can also be bought dried in Italian stores and some supermarkets. 

450g orecchiette

450g turnip tops (cime di rapa)

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle 

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped½tsp chilli flakes

Salt 

Parmesan cheese, grated

Wash the turnip tops, remove any yellow leaves or tough stems and cut into 7cm lengths.

If using dried orecchiete, put these into a pot of salted boiling water and cook for seven minutes before adding half the turnip tops and cooking for a few minutes more until the leaves are soft and the pasta ‘al dente’. If using fresh pasta, the orecchiette and turnip tops can b added to the boiling water at the same time. 

In a large frying pan, heat the oil with the garlic and chilli flakes. Add the remainder of the turnip tops and cook gently, stirring continuously, until the garlic is golden. Do not let it brown further. 
Drain the pan with the pasta and boiled leaves and add these to the frying pan. Toss around, check for salt and transfer to a warm dish. Drizzle over some olive oil before serving. Have grated Parmesan cheese to hand.

A variant of this recipe, is Ziti con Sugo di Rape. Anchovy fillets are added when cooking the garlic and chillies. This can be served with orecchiete but more usually with ziti or penne. No cheese should be offered but a sprinkling of fried breadcrumbs can be added with a drizzle of olive oil before serving.