- 900 g/2 lb turnip tops
- 2 onions, chopped
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- Pinch of chilli powder
- 150 g/5 oz. Tortiglioni pasta
- 25 g/1 oz. Pecorino cheese, freshly grated
- salt and pepper
(In the Italian edition the recipe simply calls for olive oil, chili powder, and pecorino, without saying how much.)
If possible choose turnip tops in flower since they are tastier. Cook in salted, boiling water for about 10 minutes, then separate the stems from the flowers. Chop the stems and put them in a saucepan with the onions, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the chilli powder, and a pinch of pepper. Cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, then pour in 1.5 litres/2 1/2 pints hot water and simmer 1 3/4 hours. Stir in the pasta, then stir in the turnip flowers and cook until the pasta is al dente. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the pecorino, and leave to stand for a few minutes. Season with a little more pepper and chilli powder, stir in the remaining oil, ladle into a soup tureen, and serve.
Quite tasty, and if you want a different minestrone, on the same 2-page spread you'll find Borsch (Minestrone alla Russa), Tuscan Minestrone, Farro and Bean Minestrone, and Winter Minestrone (made with potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage, and more). As I said, you're sure to find something that whets your fancy, and that can either be made from or adapted to the ingredients you have on hand.
The volume is lavishly illustrated with many photos of the dishes, and also includes both a glossary of cooking terms and charts of meat cuts and such, and this brings up one of my two objections: The charts give general Italian names for the cuts and their British equivalents; since the book will be quite welcome in English speaking households the world over, non-British meat cuts might have been nice too. My other objection is that the Italian edition gives wine pairing suggestions for many of the dishes, for example Trentino Lagrein Roscato DOC, Parrino Rosato DOC, or Castel del Monte Rosato DOC for the above mentioned Minestrone Pugliese. The English edition omits the wine suggestions, and though it is true that many of wines suggested in the Italian edition are difficult to find outside Italy, it's also true that even a suggestion for something not readily available where one is, e.g a specific rosato, white, or red, will help point one in the right direction.
Minor quibbles or improvements for the second edition, depending upon how you look at it, and in the meantime if you have a friend who likes cookbooks, "The Silver Spoon" will make a perfect gift that will be treasured for many years to come. For that matter, you may want to buy two copies, because you could well decide to keep the first.
Practical things:
The Silver Spoon
ISBN 0 7148 4467 5 (UK Edition)
About 2000 recipes in 1260 pages, including indexes; lavishly illustrated with beautiful color photographs and line drawings
Published by:
Phaidon Press Ltd, 2005
London
http://www.phaidon.com | Want to buy the book? Compare Prices.
