Baby Turnip Pinzimonio – LA CUCINA di TERRESA

With early spring produce parading at the marketplace – spring onions, fresh garlic, spring cabbage, baby turnips with their green bouquet of tender leaves – and since this morning I bought a gorgeous bunch of baby turnips, I’ll give you a sort of Pinzimonio recipe. Pinzimonio normally consists of varied raw vegetable sticks – celery, red and green peppers, fennel, carrots, etc. – that are dipped into a bowl of high-quality extra virgin olive oil that has been generously seasoned with unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. This recipe celebrates only baby turnips that are dipped in extra virgin colza oil generously seasoned with the same salt and pepper. You want to hopefully find turnips that at the same time are sweet yet have a nice zingy bite to them. There is also a simple bruschetta recipe for the turnip greens, which are chocked full of vitamin A and folic acid, and absolutely delicious!  Please take a look at my website: La Cucina di Terresa, and feel free to subscribe to my monthly Conscious Palate Newsletter. Baby Turnip Pinzimonio  1 bunch fresh baby turnips, free of bruises, with abundant, fresh green tops1/4 – 1/3 cup extra-virgin colza (or rape seed) oilUnrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper  Separate the turnips from the tops, and put the tops aside for another use, such as bruschetta (I give a quick recipe further down). Wash and dry the turnips and cut them in eight wedges. Arrange them on a plate, and poke a few of them with toothpicks. Pour the colza oil in a bowl and generously season with the salt and pepper. Then dig in.  Turnips Greens Bruschetta Tops from 1 bunch baby turnips1 garlic clove, stem removed, and chopped coarsely1 whole garlic clove8 – 10 slices sweet baguette A few drops of fresh lemon juiceA few shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano or Fiore Sardo cheeseExtra-virgin olive oilUnrefined sea salt and freshly ground pepper  Wash the turnip greens and drain, but do not spin dry. Put them in a skillet, cover and cook over medium heat until just wilted, 3 – 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of water if needed if they begin to dry out. Remove from the skillet, squeeze out any excess water, and set on a cutting board to cool slightly. Meanwhile, in the same skillet, lightly sauté the chopped garlic in a generous drizzle of olive oil, until lightly golden. Coarsely chop the turnip greens and add to the garlic. Season with unrefined sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice and stir lightly. Put the slices of baguette under the broiler and toast until golden on both sides. Lightly rub with the whole garlic clove then lightly brush with olive oil. Put a heaping spoonful of the turnip greens on top and garnish with a couple shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano or Fiore Sardo.