Tag: Queen Victoria Market

Celeriac and Kohlrabi: Italian recipes for Two Unusual Vegetables

As the season of spring arrives in Melbourne, I’m still enjoying celeriac and kohlrabi, two unusual vegetables that are still available in September and October at the Queen Victoria Market.

Celeriac and Kohlrabi: Strange-Looking but Delicious

Celeriac and kohlrabi could be described as particularly beautiful. Celeriac is knobbly, tangled and earthy; kohlrabi has a swollen round stem with leaf stalks projecting from it, but these rather inhospitable exteriors are two versatile and delicious vegetables.

Not the prettiest vegetables at the market, but celeriac and kohlrabi reward the cook who looks beyond appearances.

The specimens in my photographs are particularly rugged. A careful grower or more selective retailer might have rejected them before they have reached this  mature end of season stage.

Kohlrabi is best harvested young because large, mature plants can become tough and woody. Celeriac is more forgiving and can grow to a considerable size while remaining perfectly good to eat.

A younger looking kohlrabi as usually sold at the beginning of their season
When Are Celeriac and Kohlrabi in Season?

Celeriac is very much a vegetable of the cooler months and has a long growing season. In the Northern Hemisphere it is generally harvested from autumn through winter and into early spring; in UK, for example, the main season extends roughly from October to March.In Italy kohlrabi grows during two main seasonal cycles: a spring crop from May to June and an autumn-to-winter crop from October to November.

 In the southern part of Australia the seasons are reversed, making celeriac predominantly an autumn and winter vegetable, although local climate and growing conditions can extend its availability.

Kohlrabi is a member of the brassica family. It grows quickly and also prefers cool conditions. When harvested young, its swollen stem is crisp, juicy and mildly sweet, with flavours reminiscent of cabbage stem, broccoli and turnip. It can be eaten raw, steamed, sautéed, roasted, stuffed or added to soups and stews.

In Europe, successive crops can provide young kohlrabi from late spring through autumn and into early winter in milder regions. In temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere, spring and autumn provide particularly favourable growing conditions but too much heat or dry weather can encourage older specimens to become tough and woody.

Green coloured Kohlrabi sold with substantial amounts of leaves that I bought in Vietnam!

The leaves of kohlrabi are edible too and can be cooked like other leafy brassicas.

A much younger me holding a bunch of leafy Kohlrabi (cavolo rapa) that my relatives in Ragusa use to make with pasta (Causunnedda )

My relatives in Ragusa use them in a delicious, rather soupy pasta dish. I was always intrigued by the kohlrabi they bought there: very leafy, with relatively small swollen stems, and invariably beautifully tender. The violet varieties of kohlrabi are prominent in Italy and eventually they will also be common in Australia.

Kohlrabi in the Market in Syracuse. Bought young has crisp, juicy flesh, but the leaves are valuable too—something Sicilian cooks have long understood.
Versatility of CELERIAC and Kohlrabi

Perhaps because of their uncompromising appearance, celeriac and kohlrabi are easily overlooked, but European cooks have long recognised their value. Both can move comfortably between raw and cooked dishes and take well to strong flavours as well as simple preparations.

They are also suited to preserving. In Central and Eastern European food traditions, firm vegetables have long been preserved in vinegar, brine or through fermentation, sometimes with herbs, mustard seeds and spices. Kohlrabi and celeriac lend themselves particularly well to pickling because of their firm texture and ability to retain some crunch.

I have written about both vegetables before, with recipes and examples of how they are prepared in different parts of Italy. Use the links to see those earlier posts.

Two northern Italian recipes that demonstrate Celeriac and Kohlrabi recipes

Two distinct recipes from Northern Italy are here: a hearty Veronese minestra with celeriac, borlotti beans, sausage, and tagliatelle, and a Trentino–Alto Adige preparation of kohlrabi slowly cooked with butter and cream until tender.

Recipe: Minestra di Sedano Rapa Tagliatelle –Veronese Celeriac, Borlotti Bean and Tagliatelle Soup

This substantial minestra from Verona is made with celeriac, borlotti beans, fresh pork sausage and egg tagliatelle. The celeriac softens during the long cooking and contributes the distinctive celery-like fragrance, while the beans give the soup body and the fresh sausage adds richness.

Grande Enciclopedia Illustrata della Gastronomia

I found this recipe in my 1990 edition of Grande Enciclopedia Illustrata della Gastronomia, where it is attributed to Giovanni Capnist’s La cucina veronese.

The accompanying text written in Italian makes an interesting distinction: although celeriac has essentially the same aroma as ordinary celery, it is not used simply as an aromatic but treated as a vegetable in its own right, both raw and cooked.

This minestra demonstrates that particularly well. Celeriac is not hiding in the background as we do with celery stalks,  it is one of the substantial ingredients around which the dish is built.

Serves 6–8

Ingredients
  • 400 g dried borlotti beans
  • 1 celeriac, about 500–600 g before trimming
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 4 small fresh pork sausages
  • 1.5 litres beef broth
  • 200 g dried egg tagliatelle
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Extra virgin olive oil, to serve — the original suggests olive oil from Lake Garda

METHOD

Soak the borlotti beans overnight, then drain.

Peel and trim the celeriac and cut it into small pieces. Roughly chop the onion and carrot and remove the sausage meat from its casings.

Place the beans, celeriac, onion, carrot and sausage meat in a large saucepan. Add the beef broth and bring gently to a simmer.

Cook over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally so that the ingredients do not catch on the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

About 20 minutes before the end of cooking, add the dried egg tagliatelle. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.

Remove from the heat and allow the minestra to settle and cool slightly before serving. For a thicker consistency, mash some of the tender borlotti beans against the side of the pot and stir them back through the soup.

If desired, finish each serving with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil*

 An Interesting point: *The original Italian recipe finishes with:

“Servire, condendo se piace con un filo di olio d’oliva del Garda.” – If desired, serve, with a drizzle of  olive oil from Grada.

That reference to Lake Garda olive oil is not an incidental detail. Verona lies just east of Lake Garda, where the moderating influence of the lake has allowed olives to be cultivated unusually far north. A final thread of local olive oil therefore gives the dish an unmistakable local,  geographical connection.

Recipe: Cavolo Rapa Soffocato – An Alto Adige Way with Kohlrabi

I have found versions of this traditional Alto Adige dish in two of my cookery books. In my 1990 Grande Enciclopedia Illustrata della Gastronomia it appears as Cavolo rapa stufato, while Osteria: 1,000 Generous and Simple Recipes from Italy’s Best Local Restaurants, published by Slow Food Editore, calls it Cavolo rapa soffocato – smothered kohlrabi.

Osteria: 1,000 Generous and Simple Recipes from Italy’s Best Local Restaurants,Slow Food Editore

The recipes are essentially the same, but I much prefer the straightforward, simple instructions in Osteria.

What makes the recipe particularly interesting is that it treats kohlrabi quite differently from the crisp vegetable we might expect in a salad or pickle. Here there is no attempt to preserve its crunch. The kohlrabi is deliberately cooked for an hour until very tender, with butter, a little sugar and flour, before being finished with cream. The sugar encourages browning and enhances the vegetable’s natural sweetness, while the flour and cream turn the cooking juices into a light sauce.

It is rich, comforting and distinctly Alpine in character and an excellent example of what northern Italian cooks can do with this rather austere-looking vegetable. The cream and butter are also characteristic of this very northern Italian Cuisine.

The recipe in Osteria is attributed to Klaus Mayr of Renon–Ritten, in Bolzano–Bozen, Trentino–Alto Adige.

I have not made this recipe yet, but although it is a side dish, I rather like the idea of presenting it as a hot dip with warm bread. I doubt very much it the Bolzano crew would be impressed!

Cavolo Rapa Soffocato — Smothered Kohlrabi

Serves 4

Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 kohlrabi, diced
  • 1 tablespoon plain flour
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup cream
Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar begins to caramelise.

Add the diced kohlrabi, sprinkle with the flour and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring so that it does not stick, until the kohlrabi begins to brown.

Add ½ cup cold water, cover and cook over low heat for about 1 hour. Check occasionally and add a little more water if the pan becomes too dry.

Uncover, stir in the cream and cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened. Serve warm.

A finishing comment: There is something very appealing about these two recipes sitting together. Celeriac and kohlrabi may be awkward-looking vegetables, but neither is treated timidly in these northern Italian dishes. In Verona, celeriac becomes part of a substantial minestra with beans, sausage and pasta; in Alto Adige, kohlrabi is slowly smothered with butter and cream. Both recipes make a convincing case for looking beyond appearances—and perhaps for giving these vegetables a little more space in our kitchens.

Other recipes on the blog:

UNVEILING KOHLRABI, a BRASSICA

KOHLRABI with pasta (Causunnedda )

KOHLRABI, as eaten in Sicily

Kohlrabi, Fennel, Celeriac and Daikon make a good salad (and other recipes)

A WET PASTA DISH WITH KOHLRABI

KOHLRABI and TENERUMI, shared between cultures of Sicily and Vietnam

SEDANO RAPA (Celeriac and how to eat it) 

I am surprised that there is only one post about celeriac as I use it quite a bit, however you will find a number of different ways to prepare it in the above link

PUNTARELLE Cooked with Tomatoes, Garlic and Anchovies

I ate Puntarelle cooked with tomatoes, garlic and anchovies as a side dish several years ago in Venice. This is the photo below:

Cooked puntarelle as presented in a restaurant in Venice

A Venetian inspiration for a simple pasta sauce or contorno

Venice Cannaregio, a view from our accomodation

Puntarelle are one of my favourite Italian vegetables, and because I now can find them in a stall at Queen Victoria Market I buy them. Although they are best known in the classic Roman salad of finely sliced shoots dressed with anchovy, garlic and olive oil, puntarelle can also be cooked to make an excellent contorno or a delicious pasta sauce.

One of a number of puntarelle salads I have made recently

A memory from Cannaregio, Venice

This dish is inspired by a meal I enjoyed in Cannaregio, one of Venice’s most authentic neighbourhoods, during my visit to the Venice Biennale in 2019. Away from the busiest tourist routes, Cannaregio still retains the atmosphere of a lived-in Venetian district, with local markets, small trattorie and canals that invite leisurely wandering.

 

‎⁨Guglie⁩/ Cannaregio ⁨Venezia⁩, ⁨Venice⁩

One of the dishes I ordered  at a restaurant was a simple plate of cooked puntarelle that was tossed with tomatoes and I remembered tasting, garlic and anchovies. It was uncomplicated cooking, but memorable because puntarelle were impossible to find in Melbourne or in Adwhere I have found many vegetables that I have had difficulties finding in Melbourne.

Another person ordered the salad. This had red radicchio in it as well as tomatoes and the usual anchovy and garlic dressing.

The puntarelle salad in Venice

The results were a simple recipe with remarkable flavour. Italian cooking often demonstrates that excellent dishes require very few ingredients. In this recipe, the slight bitterness of puntarelle, the sweetness of tomatoes and the savoury richness of anchovies create a balance that is both elegant and deeply satisfying. It is a reminder that some of the most memorable meals are also the simplest.

Puntarelle in Melbourne

Recently I have been making the most of the puntarelle available from Sophia’s stall at the Queen Victoria Market. Most often I prepare the traditional salad with an anchovy and garlic dressing and have made a few of these now.

The bunches sold in Melbourne, however, usually contain fewer leaves than those I have purchased in Italy. To prepare them as a cooked vegetable, I often combine the leaves with other bitter greens such as chicory, endive or cime di rapa, which have similar flavours and cooking qualities.

One of the bunches of puntarelle I have bought in Melbourne
This bunch of puntarelle bought in Melbourne has slightly more leaves

When I was staying in an Airbnb in Venice, I also bought a bunch of puntarelle and cooked both the spears and leaves together simply in extra virgin olive oil and garlic. The Venetian bunch was much leafier than those I generally find in Melbourne, making it particularly suitable for cooking.

This is the bunch of puntarelle I bought in Venice…. very leafy.

And recently I cooked puntarelle in much the same way that I cook cime di rapa for pasta or cicoria ripassata.

A simple contorno or pasta sauce

The version I remembered from Venice included tomatoes, so I decided to recreate it at home. Because good fresh baby tomatoes taste bland during winter, I used quality tinned baby tomatoes drained of their juice instead. Their sweetness balances the gentle bitterness of the puntarelle beautifully.

Drained tinned baby tomatoes

 As with all of the green leafy vegetables as I braise with garlic and anchovies and sometimes chilli, the anchovies melt into the olive oil, creating depth while the garlic provides the familiar flavour combination found throughout Italian regional cooking.

Braised/sauteed puntarelle are equally enjoyable served as a vegetable side dish or tossed through pasta. I prefer short pasta. Because the bunches I buy at the Queen Victoria Market  don’t contain many leaves and chicory, endive or cime di rapa are in season, I add more green leaves as well.

In this version I added cooked cime di rapa
RECIPE: PUNTARELLE Cooked with Tomatoes, Garlic and Anchovies
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch puntarelle, including shoots and leaves
  • Extra leaves of chicory, endive or cime di rapa if needed
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 6 anchovy fillets (or more) in oil cut into smaller pieces
  • 250-300 g baby tomatoes (fresh when in season or good-quality tinned baby tomatoes)
  • ground black pepper or pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
  • salt if you need it.
For serving: 3-4 people
  • 350g pasta
  • Grated pecorino or toasted breadcrumbs toasted in extra virgin olive oil if desired. (Pecorino is stronger tasting than parmesan cheese and probably better suited)
Method
  • Prepare the puntarelle

Wash the puntarelle thoroughly. Separate the shoots and leaves and cut into bite-sized pieces. If the quantity of leaves is limited, add some chopped chicory, endive or cime di rapa. (*On this occasion I added some already cooked cime di rapa that I had in my fridge.)

Traditionally, if serving the greens with the pasta, they are blanched in salted boiling water for five minutes or more (depending on quantity and texture). If using the mixture as a pasta sauce, reserve some of the cooking water. However, I prefer a modern method: sauté the greens directly without parboiling (once again depending on quantity and texture).

  • Make the sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.

Add the anchovies and stir until they dissolve into the oil. Add the garlic until fragrant but not coloured.

Stir in the green leaves, toss around in the pan and when they wilt, add about a tablespoon of water, put on the lid and soften further. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan, add the puntarelle spears and cook for a few minutes until softened but still vibrant. (**I added the cooked left over cime di rapa after I cooked the puntarelle and tomatoes).

Add the tomatoes and cook for several minutes until they soften and release their juices. Season with black pepper and chilli flakes if using.

I added the cooked left over cime di rapa after I cooked the puntarelle and tomatoes

Serve as a contorno – grilled fish or meat, roasted meats (nothing juicy).

To serve with pasta
  • Cook the pasta until al dente.
  • Transfer it directly to the pan with the puntarelle mixture, adding a little reserved pasta cooking water if necessary to create a silky sauce. Toss well and serve  plain or with grated pecorino or toasted breadcrumbs, according to your preference.

Puntarelle alla Romana and Cicoria Ripassata

CICORIA and Puntarelle (Chicory)

PRODOTTI DI NATALE IN AUSTRALIA E IN ITALIA

Prodotti di Natale in Australia e in Italia: confronto stagionale tra Melbourne e i mercati italiani

I prodotti di Natale in Australia e in Italia raccontano due storie stagionali completamente diverse, determinate dal clima, dalla geografia e dalle tradizioni culinarie.

A Melbourne, dicembre coincide con l’estate. Al Queen Victoria Market, dove faccio regolarmente la spesa, i banchi sono ricchi di frutta estiva, frutti di bosco, frutta a nocciolo, erbe fresche e verdure dai colori intensi.
In Italia, invece, il Natale cade in pieno inverno e porta con sé una straordinaria varietà di verdure a foglia, radicchi, agrumi, frutta secca ed erbe spontanee, con forti differenze tra Nord e Sud.

Vivendo vicino al Queen Victoria Market e intervenendo spesso come ospite a SBS Italian Radio, ho preparato una selezione di prodotti che sceglierei per una tavola natalizia australiana, insieme a ciò che mi manca di più dei mercati italiani di dicembre.

Prodotti di Natale in Australia: cosa ho osservato al Queen Victoria Market

Frutti di bosco estivi

Quest’anno i frutti di bosco sono particolarmente belli, soprattutto le fragole: grandi, lucide e costose. Le dimensioni fanno inevitabilmente riflettere sul sapore.

  • More

  • Mirtilli

  • Lamponi

  • Fragole

Frutta a nocciolo di inizio dicembre

Sorprendentemente abbondante già all’inizio di dicembre. Molto attraente alla vista, ma spesso raccolta leggermente acerba.

  • Albicocche

  • Ciliegie

  • Nettarine

  • Pesche

Altra frutta estiva

I fichi sono stati una piacevole sorpresa, così precoci nella stagione.

  • Fichi

  • Melone giallo (Honeydew)

  • Melone retato / Cantalupo

  • Anguria

  • Arance Valencia

Verdure estive al Queen Victoria Market

Verdure a foglia

Si tratta di verdure presenti anche nei mesi invernali, quindi meno legate alla stagionalità natalizia australiana.

  • Cavolo nero / kale

  • Spinaci in mazzi

  • Bietola / coste

Insalate

Sono stata felice di trovare cicoria ed indivia, anche se essendo verdure invernali potrebbero non essere disponibili fino a Natale. Utilizzo soprattutto le foglie interne più tenere.

  • Lattuga

  • Rucola

  • Cetrioli

  • Finocchi

  • Radicchio

  • Ravanelli

  • Cicoria

  • Indivia

Altre verdure

La scoperta migliore è stato l’aglio fresco australiano: profumato, intenso e ottimo sia crudo che cotto.

  • Carciofi

  • Asparagi (verdi e bianchi, di media grandezza)

  • Fagiolini

  • Peperoni

  • Melanzane

  • Finocchi

  • Aglio (fresco e secco)

  • Porri

  • Funghi

  • Pomodori

  • Zucchine

Erbe aromatiche fresche

  • Basilico

  • Erba cipollina

  • Aneto

  • Menta

  • Origano

  • Prezzemolo

  • Timo

Prodotti di Natale in Italia: mercati di dicembre e ciò che mi manca di più

Quando penso ai prodotti di Natale in Italia, penso subito alla grande varietà di insalate invernali, ai radicchi e alle erbe spontanee, elementi centrali della cucina regionale.

Di seguito, una panoramica dei prodotti di dicembre in Italia, divisi tra Nord e Sud.

Nord Italia: prodotti di dicembre per il Natale

Brassicacee e verdure invernali

  • Cavolo nero

  • Cavoletti di Bruxelles

  • Cime di rapa (meno comuni ma presenti)

Verdure a foglia e insalate invernali

La grande assenza in Australia è la varietà delle insalate tipiche dell’inverno italiano.

  • Radicchio

  • Indivia

  • Cicoria

  • Lattughe invernali

  • Songino / Matovilc / Mâche

Principali varietà di radicchio

  • Radicchio di Chioggia

  • Radicchio Rosso di Treviso Precoce

  • Radicchio Rosso di Treviso Tardivo

  • Radicchio di Verona

  • Radicchio di Castelfranco

  • Rosa del Veneto

  • Spadone

  • Bianco di Chioggia

  • Radicchio Triestino

Il radicchio varia per amaro, consistenza e colore, influenzando profondamente i piatti invernali regionali.

Frutta di dicembre nel Nord Italia

  • Castagne

  • Noci

  • Cachi

  • Agrumi (prodotti al Sud ma consumati ovunque)

Sud Italia: prodotti di Natale e tradizioni invernali

Verdure a foglia e brassicacee

  • Cime di rapa (Puglia)

  • Bietole

  • Cicoria selvatica

  • Spinaci

  • Scarola (tipica della Campania)

Agrumi invernali

  • Limoni

  • Arance bionde

  • Arance rosse (Tarocco, Moro, Sanguinello)

  • Mandarini

  • Clementine IGP Calabria

  • Cedro

Frutta, frutta secca ed erbe spontanee

  • Fichi d’India

  • Cachi

  • Mandorle

  • Noci

  • Nocciole

  • Pistacchi di Bronte

Le erbe spontanee sono parte integrante della cucina rurale e meridionale:

  • Asparagi selvatici

    • Cicoria selvatica

    • Tarassaco

    • Ortiche

    • Finocchietto selvatico

Conclusione

Confrontare i prodotti di Natale in Australia e in Italia mostra quanto la stagionalità influenzi la cucina festiva: una tavola estiva a Melbourne e una tavola invernale in Italia raccontano due Natali profondamente diversi.

GELO DI MELONE, a simple summer, Sicilian dessert

GELO DI LIMONE (Sicilian Jellied Lemon)

RISOTTO AL RADICCHIO ROSSO

SEASONAL WINTER VEGETABLES in Melbourne, Australia

LASAGNA OR LASAGNE? RECIPE FOR LASAGNA AL RADICCHIO

RADICCHIO (Treviso) with polenta and tomato salsa

CHRISTMAS PRODUCE IN AUSTRALIA AND ITALY

Christmas produce in Australia and Italy presents distinct seasonal narratives.

In Melbourne, December is characterised by summer fruit, berries, stone fruit, fresh herbs and vibrant vegetables at the Queen Victoria Market where I shop. In Italy, Christmas occurs in winter, offering an extraordinary range of leafy greens, radicchio varieties, citrus, nuts and wild herbs—particularly in the North and South’s distinct regional traditions.

Residing near Queen Victoria Market and regularly speaking on SBS Italian Radio, I prepared a list of items I would consider purchasing and cooking for an Australian Christmas table and what I miss most from Italian December markets. However, time constraints prevented a comprehensive discussion.

Here are my lists.

Part 1: What I observed at Queen Victoria Market and I would consider buying for an Australian Christmas.

Part 2: Italian December Produce for Christmas and What I Miss Most.

PART 1. WHAT I OBSERVED AT THE QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET and I would consider buying for an Australian Christmas

Berries (Frutti di Bosco)

Beautiful specimens this year—especially strawberries—large, glossy, and expensive. Their size made me wonder about flavour.

  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries

Stone Fruit (Frutta a Nocciolo)

Surprisingly abundant for early December. Attractive but often picked slightly unripe.

  • Apricots
  • Cherries
  • Nectarines
  • Peaches

Other Fruit (Altre Verdure)

Figs were a surprise—very early in the season.

  • Honeydew melon
  • Rockmelon / Cantaloupe
  • Watermelon
  • Valencia oranges

Vegetables (Verdure)

Leafy Greens (Verdure a Foglia)

These also appear in winter, so their presence felt familiar.

  • Cavolo nero / kale
  • Spinach (bunches)
  • Silverbeet / Chard

Salad Greens (Insalate)

I was pleased to find chicory and endive though being winter vegetables, they may not last until Christmas.I use the soft, inner leaves for salads.

  • Lettuce
  • Rocket
  • Cucumber
  • Fennel
  • Radicchio
  • Radishes
  • Chicory
  • Endive

Other Vegetables 

The best discovery was fresh Australian garlic: aromatic, vibrant, and perfect for raw or cooked salads.

The thick white and green Asparagus looked good, as did mixed-colour cherry tomatoes—though flavour can be variable.

  • Artichokes
  • Asparagus (green and white, medium size)

  • Green beans
  • Capsicum
  • Eggplants
  • Fennel
  • Garlic (fresh and dried)
  • Leeks
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Zucchini

Herbs 

  • Basil
  • Chives
  • Dill
  • Mint
  • Oregano
  • Parsley
  • Thyme

Part 2. Italian December Produce for Christmas and What I Miss Most

When I think of Christmas in Italy, I immediately think of the incredible range of salad greens and radicchio varieties unavailable in Australia. The wild herbs

Below, a breakdown of North vs South Italy.

 

Northern Italy – December Vegetables and Fruit

Brassicas / Crucifers

Although these  vegetables are found in Australia in December they are winter vegetables and their quality is variable.

  • Cavolo nero
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cime di rapa (less common, but present)

Leafy Greens

The greatest absence in Australia is the variety of winter salads:

  • Radicchio (a true northern treasure)
  • Endive
  • Chicory
  • Winter lettuces
  • Matovilc / Lamb’s lettuce / Mâche – so popular in Trieste

Key Radicchio Varieties

  • Radicchio di Chioggia
  • Radicchio Rosso di Treviso Precoce
  • Radicchio Rosso di Treviso Tardivo
  • Radicchio di Verona
  • Radicchio di Castelfranco
  • Rosa del Veneto (Pink Radicchio)
  • Spadone
  • Bianco di Chioggia
  • Radicchio Triestino (soft, pale green, cut like grass)

Radicchio varies in bitterness, texture, and colour, and these distinctions shape regional winter dishes.

Other Vegetables

  • Celeriac

Northern December Fruits

  • Chestnuts
  • Walnuts
  • Persimmons
  • Citrus (grown in the South but eaten everywhere)

Southern Italy – December Vegetables and Fruit

Brassicas

  • Cime di rapa (especially in Puglia)

Leafy Greens

  • Chard
  • Wild chicory
  • Seasonal lettuces
  • Spinach
  • Scarola , also called Indivia (typical of Campania)

Citrus (used like vegetables in salads)

  • Lemons
  • Blonde oranges
  • Blood oranges (Tarocco, Moro, Sanguinello)
  • Mandarins
  • Clementine IGP Calabria
  • Lemons
  • Cedro  -its aroma, thick pith, and traditional uses in salads, candied in desserts and liqueurs,

Other December Fruits

Prickly pears in Siracusa
  • Late prickly pears
  • Persimmons

Nuts

  • Almonds
  • Walnuts
  • Hazelnuts (Campania)
  • Pistachios (Bronte, Sicily)

Mediterranean Aromatic Herbs & Wild Herbs

Erbe spontanee or erbe selvatiche are deeply rooted in southern and rural food traditions.

Common types include:

  • Dandelion
  • Wild chicory
  • Nettles
  • Wild asparagus
  • Wild fennel

Used for: sautéed greens, frittate, broths, risotti. They are collected in the wild or simply sold in bunches at markets.

LEMON and CEDRO; SICILIAN LEMON SALAD

PRICKLY PEARS Fichi d’India and a paste called Mostarda

WILD ASPARAGUS IN SICILY AND TUNIS (ASPARAGI SELVATICI)    

RADICCHIO (Treviso) with polenta and tomato salsa

RISOTTO AL RADICCHIO ROSSO

CIME DI RAPA and pasta

This is the season for Cime di rapa and I can’t get enough of them.

Unfortunately this green leafy vegetable that is in season now (winter) can be hard to find, even at the Queen Victoria Market (Melbourne). Gus and Carmel who have a stall at the QVM called Il Fruttivendelo (Frutti+ vendelo= fruit+ seller) have bunches of Cime di rapa. A fruttivendolo doesn’t only sell fruit, and as this well stocked stall attests, they have a wide range of seasonal fruit and vegetables; some that you will have trouble to find anywhere else, for example, I buy prickly pears, chicory, endives and much more.

The only other person who sometimes has Cime di rapa is John from Tomato City.

And by the way, another vegetable that is difficult to source is artichoke and both of these stalls sell them, in season of course.

I have seen bunches of Cime di rapa in greengrocers in the suburbs, at least those that have Italian proprietors. You won’t have any trouble finding them in Adelaide as most greengrocers are owned by Italians.

Italians mostly refer to them as Cime (tops or tips). A rapa is a turnip, Cime di rapa are turnip tips or tops, perhaps they are called this because this green leafy vegetable is a mustard tasting green, like turnips. As you see they look a bit like broccoli and they have a yellow flower.

As for my recent jaunt to the Dandenong Market, while Cime may have eluded me, the diversity of fresh produce on display was nothing short of mesmerizing The quality was superb, and the prices were amazingly cheap. Not surprisingly, there were very good looking, high quality, fresh zucchini, eggplants and okra at all the stalls.

Amidst the chatter of countless languages, the market’s vibrancy was enormous. I say not surprisingly, as the produce vendors and shoppers reflected the rich tapestry of cultures that live in Dandenong.

The City of Greater Dandenong is the most culturally diverse community in Australia, with residents from 157 birth places and 64 per cent of its population born overseas.

Among the more than 130 different languages spoken are Vietnamese, Khmer, Chinese, Greek, Albanian, a large Indian population especially Punjabi, Pakistani, Afghan, Sri Lankan and Sinhalese.

When it comes to sourcing ingredients, I’m no stranger to the busy streets of Melbourne’s CBD and I have no problems finding Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese and Chinese ingredients, but I go to Dandenong mainly for the array of Indian hard to source treasures. That recent excursion yielded spices, dhal, and pickles;each ingredient an undertaking of culinary endeavours to come.

I was really keen to cook Cime that night and came home via a greengrocer that would have them, and they did.

Cime di rapa

Most cooks who are familiar with this green leafy vegetable are also familiar with the most popular and common ways of cooking them to dress short pasta, especially orecchiette – (little ears shaped pasta, photo above). The greens are usually softened/cooked first and then tossed in extra virgin olive oil, garlic and chilli. It is a Southern Italian dish (made popular in Puglia, Bari is the capital city). Cows are widespread in the North, sheep in the South and therefore it is fitting that the grated cheese to top the pasta is Pecorino, made from sheep’s milk. Parmigiano is made from cow’s milk, leave that for Northern pasta dishes.

My relatives in Sicily (and most likely in other Italian regions) boil the greens in quite a bit of salted water and once the greens are drained they reserve the water to cook the pasta.

The drained greens are sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, chilli and garlic. The vegetable water flavours the pasta and sometimes tinges that pasta green. It is a nice touch, but I prefer to sauté the cleaned greens without cooking them first. I like to concentrate the flavour of the vegetables and keep a little bit of crunch – not Italian at all.

Most of the time I add anchovies to the hot oil before adding the chilli and garlic. The anchovies dissolve easily in the hot oil before I add and sauté the chilli and garlic, and finally. Omit the salt if you are adding anchovies.

Cime cooked the same way are great as a side vegetable, so forget the cavolo nero, silverbeet, kale and spinach, try Cime instead.

There are other ways to cook Cime as an accompaniment to pasta. Popular is the addition of good pork and fennel Italian sausages, but most of the time I like to cook the Cime (with or without the pork sausages) with pulses – particularly chickpeas, cannellini or borlotti beans. With the pork sausages I tend to favour borlotti, they taste more meaty.

Sometimes I use feta instead of grated cheese. It is much creamier and definitely not Italian. One of the highlights of residing in a multicultural country is that one can mix and match without having a Italian looking over your shoulder.

I keep the feta in extra virgin olive oil and herbs in my fridge. Use tough herbs like Bay leaves and Thyme. Dried Oregano, fennel seeds, peppercorn or chilli flakes ate good but not soft herbs or fresh garlic… these oxidise and  rot.

Red tomatoes are also a good addition. In winter tomatoes are out of season, so if you are not able to use fresh tomatoes one tin is sufficient – toss chopped tomatoes and their juice in a saucepan, add a glug of extra virgin olive oil, 1-2 garlic cloves some fresh basil (seems to be for sale all year round) or some oregano (fresh or dried), a little salt and reduce it as you would to make a tomato salsa to dress pasta. Add the tomato salsa to the sautéed Cime cooked with or without anchovy. If you are using pomodorini as I am in the photos below , you may prefer to just sauté the tomatoes. I rather like the explosion of flavour that pomodorini provide.

Leave the above sauce as it is or add a cup or so of chickpeas, cannellini or borlotti.

 

There is very little waste (if any) because the larger stems that can be tough can be stripped of their outer peel.

Whether served as a comforting pasta dish or as a humble side, Cime di rapa with their depth of flavour do it for me every time.

Other information and recipes about Cime di Rapa (also referred to in the plural as Cime di rape).

CIME DI RAPE (or Rapa) with pasta, anchovies and lemon peel

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE VEGETABLES Cime di Rape

PASTA with ‘NDUJA, CIME DI RAPA and PORK SAUSAGES

EDIBLE WEEDS: Orecchiette e Broccoletti Selvatici (and cime di rape)

CIME DI RAPE (A winter green)

Trees Removed

Despite our best efforts over a long time, the CityWide forestry crew felled 6 trees on the roundabout over two days, and although the residents have been disputing this issue over a long time, we were unable to stop them.

The two large Eucalyptus have now been removed; these two trees were where the birds either nested or rested before coming to drink on the balcony.

The remaining trees are likely to be left until the roundabout is removed and the traffic lights installed.

We have received this from Rohan Leppert, one of the Councillors at Melbourne City Council:

As to the policy reasons for removing the tree – I think the die was cast on 11 July 2017 with the insertion into the Melbourne Planning Scheme of Development Plan Overlay 11.  That’s not to say that efforts have not been made since to review the possibilities (including politically, and including from councillors at your behest), it is to say that it is very difficult to adjust course once the development rights are established. The net increase in trees will be very significant, taking Market Square and the Franklin St upgrades into account, but I understand that that is not the near future and that these trees were mature, healthy and special. I am sorry.

Rohan

Rohan Leppert | Councillor.
Environment Portfolio Lead, Heritage Portfolio Lead, Planning and Sustainable Building Portfolios Deputy Lead

I did stand on my balcony with these quickly made placards. I wanted to let the workers know that it wasn’t their doing, the decision was made by the Council.

Thank you to all the readers who sent messages via my email, Facebook and Instagram.

My next and future posts will be about food and recipes, as All Things Sicilian and More is supposed to be.

Previous Post:

The Queen Victoria Market

The Queen Victoria Market

There are many who read my posts. Apart from Victoria, there are others from different Australian states, Italy and Europe, and many from the US.

But I am not writing recipes this time.

I live in an apartment overlooking the Queen Victoria Market. This time, I want to tell you about the birds that come to my balcony to drink, and how Melbourne City Council are going to fell the trees where these birds nest. The reason is to make way for a development consisting of three block towers in the southern end of the open air car park in the Queen Victoria Market.

I have considered myself to be very lucky to live at the end of Queen Street in the centre of the city of Melbourne, and I have a roundabout in front of my apartment block plus twenty mature trees. This oasis and roundabout once had a sculpture on it that was especially designed and constructed within that green space to compliment the sculpture and provide a compelling entrance to welcome shoppers to the Queen Victoria Market. The market is one of the reason I chose to live here. In Adelaide I also had an apartment very close to the Adelaide market. In Trieste (Italy) where I lived as a child my family of three also lived close to the central market. When I travel, markets are always on my agenda.

Markets and fresh produce are very important to me. And so is greenery.

The roundabout with its specially commissioned art work by Lisa Young was erected over twenty years ago, and the variety of native trees were chosen in collaboration with a landscape gardener of Young’s choice. The trees are Casuarinas and two tall Eucalyptus trees. These trees, especially the Eucalyptus trees house a variety of birds that visit my balcony to drink from the water bowl that I provide. The Casuarinas house smaller birds that only occasionally are seen on my balcony. This one below liked my olive tree. They don’t often visit, but I hear them chirping.

The sculpture unfortunately was removed a couple of years ago, but the trees have remained. Until now.

Because the roundabout with its mature trees has contributed to this part of Queen Street being greener, the bird life has returned.  There are roadworks all around my apartment building and partly because of the hot days we have experienced recently and probably in the future, the water bowl I provide for the birds on my balcony and the security has been a haven for the birds.

The Wattle birds have visited my balcony for a number of years. The visiting couple nest as solitary pairs, alone during their breeding season, later in pairs and because breeding conditions must be favourable, they are brooding twice per year. They then visit as family groups of three. I have watched them dip into the water bowl, then preening and flapping their wings before they fly back to settle on the Eucalyptus trees.

The Lorikeets are the most numerous visitors and were the second set of guests after the Wattle birds; I have read that Lorikeets have reappeared in Melbourne CBD after decades of absence.

Interestingly, after some disputes to settle pecking orders the birds seem willing to share the bowl of water except when the Lorikeets bring their young; these rainbow- plumed parrots constantly chatter and perform acrobatic feats and dives into the water bowl keeping me entertained.

The spotted doves and the feral pigeons don’t seem to care about what other birds are drinking, and vice versa. They do a lot of cooing and pacing on the edge of the balcony and, when there is a space around the water bowl, they drink. They are simply ignored by everyone.

The Currawongs are the most majestic, and like the other varieties that visit they too like a dip in the water bowl, except that the bowl is not large enough and they take it in turns to stand in the water that only reaches to the top of their legs. It is very amusing. They make their melodic calls from the surrounding trees. They prefer to come when the sun is beginning to set.

The silent Crows also visit in twos, but not as regularly. Just like when the Currawongs visit, these larger birds have the bath and the balcony to themselves. Their presence is ominous.

Native noisy Miners and Indian Mynas come too, and there is no fighting with each other or with the other species. But how is this so? Aren’t Miners and Mynas supposed to be aggressive?

The black and white Peewees (Magpie-larks) with their distinctive, piping calls are the most recent arrivals to come. Their breeding season is from August to January and I am watching one family unit feeding their fledgling and teaching it to drink and dunk.

There is a grim reason for this accounting of city birdlife. The Queen Street roundabout and the trees that have grown there are to be destroyed within days. My neighbours have everything possible, but all strategies have been unsuccessful.

The trees and roundabout are collateral damage in Melbourne City council’s plan to redevelop the Queen Victoria Market through a land sale to the developer – Lendlease.

The roundabout which has managed the relatively smooth flow of traffic through and around the market will make way for a complicated intersection controlled by traffic lights. Is this a suitable replacement as an entry to our iconic market?

What’s more, as part of its urban forest strategy Melbourne City Council is planning to remove the Plane trees that continue along Queen Street and that border the existing open-air carpark. Within next ten years street trees in the rest of the CBD will reach the end of their useful lives and council is progressively replacing trees (including Plane trees) with new tree species that are more appropriate to the changing climate planted in public land across the Municipality. Removing old trees that are not suitable to our conditions and planting new trees is a positive strategy, but we have left it too long to begin to replace our older trees.

Trees take years to mature. The trees that are to be felled on the roundabout have taken more than twenty years to be old enough to support insects and birds of different species. One of the large Eucalypt trees is a flowering gum and the migratory bats come and feast on the blossoms during the flowering season.

Mature trees provide fantastic canopies and significant environmental benefits in terms of shade, cooling and biodiversity. Melbourne City has a target to reach a 40% green canopy cover by 2040.

How can we achieve this? Why are these trees on the roundabout been removed?

If the roundabout is to go, I will certainly miss it.

I ask myself why can’t Melbourne City Council find ways to save at least some of these trees, especially the two Eucalyptus trees and leave them as part of a nature strip that is within keeping with the rest of Queen Street that leads into the Queen Victoria Market? Too difficult? Don’t care?

Trees and birds need us as friends in difficult times.

Please save the trees, and by doing so, save the birds and the insects.

And how does the sale of the land by Melbourne City Council for a development benefit the Queen Victoria Market?

CIME DI RAPE (or Rapa) with pasta, anchovies and lemon peel

It is the season to demonstrate again my recognition and enjoyment  for  Cime di rape (Cime di rapa is the singular). Also known as Rapini or Broccoli Rabe in some other parts of Italy and of the world. This exceptional, slightly bitter, mustard tasting, green vegetable is a brassica and a winter green and I make the most of it while it is in season.

I cooked a bunch last night of “Cime ” as they are generally called, with anchovies for a pasta dish.

Cime di rape are not easy to buy, for example there are only three stalls that sell it at the Queen Victoria Market and you cannot rely on all three having it,  but if it is available, it comes home. Some good green grocers also sell Cime di rape, especially those businesses with Italian heritage or that are in locations where Italians shop.

The flower heads are green at the moment, but they will have yellow petals later in the season as demonstrated in the photo below.

Cime di rape, are traditionally cooked with orecchiette (little ears shaped pasta) originating in Puglia, but these  green leafy greens are also grown extensively in the Italian regions of Lazio and Campania and further south; they are not as traditionally popular in northern Italy.

I cook the greens as a  pasta dressing or as a side dish to gutsy dishes of meat or fish or pulses. They are not a delicate tasting green and therefore need  strong flavours – garlic, chillies, strong tasting cheese.

As a pasta sauce they can include the flavours already mentioned and / or be enriched by the addition of pork sausages,  a few slices of a strong tasing salame or ‘Nduja (a soft, spreadable, pork salame originating from  Calabria and with a high content of  chilies.)

Another strong taste  to add are anchovies. I like to add a substantial amount, but I am careful about adding salt to the greens when I sauté them in strong tasting extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and chilli.

The whole bunch can be used and not just the leaves and flowers. Like when cleaning broccoli, the tougher stems/stalks can be stripped of their tough, green layer. There is little wastage.

When I made the orecchiette with Cime di Rape last night I also added grated lemon peel. A friend had  just picked some very fresh lemons from her friend’s property. They were so fragrant, I could not resist them.

The anchovies have to be cut finely and tossed about in some extra virgin olive oil to dissolve/ melt. This happens quickly.

The melted anchovies can either be added to the sautéed  greens  after the pasta and greens have been tossed together and are ready to serve, or at the beginning i. e. sauté the anchovies, add the garlic and chillies in the oil for a couple of minutes before adding the greens and cook.

Use strong tasting grating cheese like pecorino. Last night I used some Aged Goat Gouda cheese instead. Sometimes I top the pasta with feta, this is not traditional, but it is good to experiment.

The lemon peel can be added either during cooking or at the end.

There are other posts with information and recipes on my blog about Cime di rape. I hope that you too will enjoy them :

EDIBLE WEEDS: Orecchiette e Broccoletti Selvatici (and cime di rape)

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE VEGETABLES Cime di Rape

PASTA with ‘NDUJA, CIME DI RAPA and PORK SAUSAGES

CIME DI RAPE (A winter green)

Melbourne – August: Winter Artichokes in risotto and stuffed

It is August and winter in Melbourne, and I am on the lookout for artichokes.

Fresh produce has always been essential to my cooking, and I am fortunate to live very close to Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market, where seasonal ingredients are always within reach. Before the lockdown restrictions, I also shopped at various Farmers’ Markets, but for now, QVM is my main source of beautiful winter produce.

Last weekend I found these exceptionally green artichokes—local, in season, and noticeably different from the varieties available earlier in the year. Their freshness was unmistakable.

Fresh winter artichokes from the Queen Victoria Market, bright green and in season.

A few days later I purchased a handful of baby artichokes. These appear when the artichoke plant is nearing the end of its season. The plant no longer has the energy to produce full-sized globes, so it sends out smaller offshoots. They are often used for pickling. Unlike the bright-green mature artichokes, these babies are tinged with purple.

And what is the bunch of greens sitting beside them? Cime di rapa—a welcome surprise this late in the season, and still in excellent condition.

Baby artichokes and late-season cime di rapa

Stuffed Winter Artichokes

With the large artichokes, I made a classic stuffed version. I filled the centres with fresh breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, garlic, parsley and extra virgin olive oil, then braised them in a mixture of white wine, stock and more olive oil.

Potatoes help keep the artichokes upright as they cook, and they absorb the braising liquid beautifully. The liquid should reach below the top of each artichoke. The potatoes are delicious as they soak up the flavours of the artichoke braising liquid.

Artichokes stuffed with breadcrumbs, Parmesan, herbs and garlic, ready to braise.

Artichokes should fit snugly in the pan. Sometimes the stems help keep them secure; other times I use potatoes to prop them up.

And what did I do with the baby artichokes?

Baby Artichokes in Risotto

The baby artichokes were braised in stock, white wine and extra virgin olive oil. Once cooked, I used their fragrant braising liquid as the base for a delicate risotto.

For the risotto:
Sauté garlic and onion in extra virgin olive oil.

Add the rice and stir until well coated.

Warm the artichoke braising liquid and add it gradually, as you would for a traditional risotto.

Stir through parsley halfway through cooking. Add the cooked baby artichokes and a small knob of butter during the final absorption of the stock.

The risotto should be served all’onda—soft, creamy and rippling like waves.

Finish with grated Parmesan, if you wish, though I often prefer tasting the natural sweetness of the artichokes without cheese.

Risotto made with baby artichokes and their aromatic braising liquid.

Carciofi and Carciofini

In Italian, carciofi are artichokes and carciofini are baby artichokes.
My blog contains many artichoke recipes; here are a few you might enjoy:

 

CARCIOFI IMBOTTITI (Stuffed artichokes)

CARCIOFINI SOTT’ OLIO (Preserved artichokes in oil)

CARCIOFI (Artichokes and how to clean them and prepare them for cooking) 

CARCIOFI FARCITI (Stuffed artichokes: with meat and with olives and anchovies)

There are also recipes on my blog for Cime di Rapa.

MINESTRA MARITATA, peasant soup from Calabria

Minestra Marinata is a peasant soup from Calabria.

What is Minestra?

Minesta in Italian means soup. But it does not stop there – minestrone is a thick soup and minestrina is a more delicate or thin soup.  All minestre (plural) may or may not have pasta (or pastina) or rice or grains added to thicken them.

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What is a Zuppa?

Then there is zuppa and this Italian word shares the common root with soupe (French), suppe (German) and sopa (Spanish and Portuguese).  These days the differences between a minestra and a zuppa are probably interchangeable and there are always regional and cultural variations (as the Calabrese minestra below), but a zuppa relies on an accompaniment of a slice of bread; usually this is placed in the bowl and the zuppa is ladled on top. The bread soaks up the juice and therefore no pasta, or rice, or grains (barley, wheat) are needed.

Traditionally, a zuppa has a broth base, whereas the liquid in a minesta is more likely to be water and relies on the vegetables, pulses, fish, meat (or smoked meat) for flavour. In modern times, recipes for minestra may include the addition of water, stock or broth as the liquid base .

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Beautiful Calabria

So why am I taking such an interest in the specific Calabrese minestra?

During my recent visit to Adelaide, I dined at Minestra, a small home-style eatery in Prospect. I ordered minestra with my pork and veal and eggplant polpette. The minestra was presented less soupy and more like a side dish for the polpette, but it could also be ordered unaccompanied as a one-course dish with a greater quantity of liquid and a more substantial soup-like consistency. 

This eatery is notable not only for its daily menu displayed on a blackboard, but also for its flexibility. The menu can feature locally sourced produce, as indicated by the sign inviting customers to bring their own.

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Minestra’s owner and head chef is Sandy Cenin, whose surname suggests a northern Italian heritage. His grandmother is Calabrese.

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Inspired by Sandy’s minestra, once home in Melbourne, I was determined to conduct some research and to make it.

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Calabrese minestra is a traditional peasant dish suited to the region’s agricultural heritage. Unlike other pasta-based dishes, this minestra is made with simple, frugal ingredients. It typically includes wild greens and dried broad beans or borlotti or cannellini. Occasionally, pork is also used. The dish is characterised by its austerity and is not sophisticated or complex. The combination of green vegetables and beans creates a thick, stew-like soup. Variations may include potatoes and pork can be fresh meat ribs or rind. Some recipes also incorporate the rind of grated pecorino cheese for flavour.

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In Calabria, as in Sicily, wild foraged greens are highly valued and not solely for necessity. In Australia, we may not be familiar with the range of edible plants available or have access to as many, but we do have some excellent green leafy vegetables that provide contrasting and robust flavours.

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Green leafy  green vegetables

The Green Leafy Vegetables – different types that could be suitable 

A mixture of three or four of seasonal, green, leafy vegetables, is sufficient –  I am using  endives (or escarole) and chicory, that are both bitter, cime di rapa (a brassica) for the mustard taste and sow thistle that was sold to me as milk thistle and tastes mild and grassy.

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I bought this mixture of greens from my regular fruttivendolo at the Queen Victoria Market (see photo below). If I had foraged for dandelions (bitter taste) or wild broccoletii (wild brassica) I would have used these instead of the more conventional chicory, escarole (bitter) or cime di rapa (mustard).

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 The green leafy vegetables ready to be wilted

There are many brassicas that could be suitable – kohlrabi (root and leaves), cabbage,  kale (not Italian, but who cares!), cavolo nero, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts (not a Calabrese vegetable)and cabbage.

Wild fennel, amaranth, nettles are also wild greens that could be accessible to you or you may be growing borage in your garden (photo below).

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RECIPE for The Minestra MaritatA

Ingredients

I am going to be Italian when I write this recipe. There are no measurements for the ingredients but my photos can give you an indication and it is ‘cucina povera‘- peasant cooking – that is, use what you can get, make it to your taste, add as much liquid as you wish, but keep it thick.

Use a variety of green leafy seasonal vegetables – whatever you can get – go for combinations of taste – bitter, sweet, peppery, grassy, aniseed taste (as in fennel).

Method

  • Soak, cook pulses (borlotti, cannellini, dried broad beans) … or buy tinned beans if that is what you do. In my photo you will see that i have used black-eyed beans – this is not an Italian bean, but it is what I had on hand at the time and I do not think that my breaking of tradition mattered. Drain the pulses you intend to use. Keep the liquid (broth) in case you want to add it as the liquid for the minestra.
  • Clean the greens, separate them from any tough stems but keep the softer ones.
  • Soften the greens – boil them in as much or as little salted water as you cook all your green leafy vegetables. Drain them but reserve some liquid for the minestra. I did not have to discard any because I did not use much water to cook my greens.

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  • Chop garlic ( I used quite a bit), sauté the drained greens, add  beans. My ratio was about 2/3 greens and 1/3 beans.

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  • Add chopped chilli at the same time as the garlic if you wish or serve chopped chilli or chilli paste separately (Calabresi a fond of pepper paste). 
  • Add as much liquid as you wish, dish it up, drizzle some extra virgin oil on it and eat it with some good bread.

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See recipe for the Sicilian Maccu – another of those peasant soups and this one has even more traditions than the Calabrese minestra.