This photo shows a fresh bunch of small turnips. Turnips (the bulb), even if small are not popular to eat in Italy, but the leaves are eaten.
You can see that the ones I buy are a sold with their leaves – green, fresh and tasty. They are excellent to eat either wilted in salted water and dressed with oil and lemon, or braised with garlic and chilli. Turnips are members of the brassica family and these greens are related and taste very similar to cime di rape (see ONE OF MY FAVOURITE VEGETABLES Cime di Rape ).
Tim, Kieran and Chris (at a stall in the Queen Victoria Market) know that I always like to buy my turnips, beetroot and celeriac with their green leaves attached – they should never be wasted.
Iota is a stew-like soup of borlotti beans, potatoes and smoked pork meats. It is a specialty of Trieste and environs and in Trieste is traditionally made with saurkraut, however in a couple of places close to Trieste the saurkraut, is replaced with turnips.
IOTA FROM TRIESTE, Italy made with smoked pork, sauerkraut, borlotti beans:
IOTA (Recipe, a very thick soup from Trieste) Post 1
IOTA FROM TRIESTE, Italy, made with smoked pork, sauerkraut, borlotti beans – Post 2