The turnip greens cream is a very tasty and intriguing preparation, very easy and quite fast; it contains no eggs, no gluten or lactose. We can use it to enrich wraps, canapés, or appetizer bruschettas, season pasta, or fill sandwiches, gourmet panettone, savory pies different than usual; in short, do not limit your creativity. Turnip greens are a typically winter vegetable, rich in minerals and vitamins, so not only are they good but also healthy. The turnip greens cream is really quick to prepare and with only four ingredients, without needing any special kitchen utensils. Try it because it definitely deserves to be tasted.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs turnip greens
- 1 clove garlic without inner sprout
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
- to taste chili pepper (optional)
Steps
Clean our turnip greens. Keep the leaves and flowers and remove most of the longer stems, especially those that are too large, tough, and woody, leaving the smaller, tender stems instead.
Wash them under running water and let them drain.
In the meantime, heat some water in a large pot.
When the water boils, add 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt and also add the turnip greens.
Cover the pot and let it come back to a boil.
Boil the turnip greens for no more than 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain them perfectly from the cooking water (keep a ladle of it that might be useful if you want a softer, more fluid cream) and let them cool for about ten minutes in a colander.
Transfer the boiled turnip greens to a blender, add the garlic clove (if you don’t like it, you can also omit it or use a pinch of garlic powder) and the extra virgin olive oil (a couple of tablespoons are more than enough).
Blend for a few seconds until you get a cream; if it’s too thick for your taste or purpose, add a bit more oil or a few tablespoons of cooking water.
Taste and adjust the salt if necessary. You can now also add a pinch of chili powder or the tip of a fresh or dried chili pepper, which goes very well with turnip greens. It keeps in the fridge, covered, for a couple of days.
That’s it; the turnip greens cream is ready, and you can enjoy it as your kitchen creativity suggests.
Bon appetit
