Here is a comprehensive guide to orecchiette with turnip greens, including the most well-known versions (traditional Apulian and Lucanian with crusco peppers), plus some interesting variations and the nutritional properties of the dish.
🌿 ORECCHIETTE AND BROCCOLI RABE – TRADITIONAL PUGLIA RECIPE
Classic version with anchovies and crumbled tarallo.
✔️ Ingredients (serves 4)
400 g of orecchiette pasta
600 g turnip greens (already cleaned)
4 anchovy fillets in oil
1 clove of garlic
Chilli pepper (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tarallo (preferably with fennel)
Salt to taste.
✔️ Preparation
Bring the water to the boil and add a little salt (the anchovies are already salty).
Clean the turnip greens, keeping the smaller leaves and tops.
Cook the orecchiette and turnip greens in a single pot: add the vegetables first, then the pasta after 3–4 minutes.
Heat the oil, crushed garlic and chilli in a pan and melt the anchovies.
Drain the pasta and vegetables, transfer them to the pan and stir for a few minutes.
Plate and add crumbled tarallo to give it its typical crunchiness.
🌶️ LUCAN VERSION — ORECCHIETTE AND BROCCOLI RABE WITH CRUSCO PEPPERS
✔️ Ingredients
400 g orecchiette pasta
600 g turnip greens
2–3 crispy peppers
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste.
✔️ Preparation
Cook the turnip greens and orecchiette together as in the Apulian recipe.
Meanwhile, heat the oil to a moderate temperature and brown the garlic.
Turn off the heat and immerse the crispy peppers for 3–4 seconds: they should become crispy without burning.
Drain them and chop them up.
Melt the butter and vegetables in the flavoured oil.
Add the crispy peppers just before serving.
🍽️ TASTY VARIATIONS
🌾 1. Wholemeal orecchiette pasta with chickpeas
Add 150 g of cooked chickpeas to increase the protein content.
Sauté the turnip greens and chickpeas with garlic and oil, then stir into the pasta.
🍋 2. “Lemon and breadcrumb” version”
Add grated lemon zest to the pan.
Replace the tarallo with toasted breadcrumbs.
🧀 3. With fried breadcrumbs and Pecorino cheese
Breadcrumbs sautéed in oil: similar to the Apulian tradition.
A light sprinkling of pecorino cheese (not traditional, but delicious).
🐟 4. With mussels and turnip greens (sea–land fusion)
Open the mussels in the pan and add their liquid to the sauce.
Toss the orecchiette with the cime and open mussels.
🌶️ 5. Spicy Lucanian variant
Add a cream made by blending a soaked crusco pepper with oil and a little cooking water.
🥓 6. With crispy pork cheek
Unusual but very tasty: guanciale sautéed and added at the last minute, without anchovies.
🥦 NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES (per serving)
(Classic Apulian version)
Component
Estimated quantity
Calories
480–550 kcal
Carbohydrates
70–80 g
Proteins
12–18 g (thanks to anchovies and pasta)
Fats
15–20 g (mainly monounsaturated from extra virgin olive oil)
Fibres
6–8 g
Vitamins
Rich in vitamins A, C, K, and folate
Minerals
Iron, calcium, potassium
✔️ Benefits
Turnip greens are rich in antioxidants, fibre, and micronutrients.
Anchovies provide omega-3 and high-quality protein.
Extra virgin olive oil provides good fats that protect the heart.
A balanced, filling dish rich in nutrients.
Here are some perfect combinations for orecchiette with turnip greens, differentiated by Apulian, Lucanian and other variations.
🍷 PAIRINGS FOR THE PUGLIA VERSION (anchovies + tarallo)
⭐ Verdeca from Martina Franca
Fresh, mineral, slightly herbaceous.
Perfect with the delicate bitterness of turnip greens and the savoury flavour of anchovies.
⭐ Fiano Minutolo (Puglia)
Aromatic, citrusy, elegant.
Balance both the extra virgin olive oil and the crunchy part of the tarallo.
⭐ White Bombino
Very fresh, good acidity.
Excellent for those who prefer more neutral wines that do not overpower the dish.
🍷 PAIRING FOR THE LUCAN VERSION (crusco pepper)
⭐ Aglianico del Vulture – young version
Not overly structured, but still complex.
Notes of red fruit and spices that pair well with the sweetness of the crusco.
⭐ Greco di Tufo (lighter alternative)
Good minerality and medium body.
Perfect with roasted peppers without being overpowering.
🍷 PAIRINGS FOR THE VARIATIONS
With chickpeas or wholemeal version
→ Rosato del Salento (Negroamaro rosé)
Fresh, fragrant, ideal for complex vegetal flavours and more “rustic” notes.
With mussels
→ Fiano di Avellino or Vermentino
They harmonise sea and land with a beautiful mineral flavour.
With pillow
→ Young Nero di Troia
Light tannins + spicy notes = perfect balance with the fat of the guanciale.
🍷 If you want a universal choice
⭐ Apulia: Fiano Minutolo
⭐ Basilicata: Young Aglianico del Vulture or Aglianico rosé
These are the two best “cross-cutting” combinations that work with all interpretations.
Here are two complete menus, one from Puglia and one from Basilicata, both built around the theme of orecchiette pasta and turnip greens, paired with typical wines and desserts. You can use them for a regional-themed dinner, perfect for impressing your guests.
COMPLETE PUGLIESE MENU – Tradition & Sea
🫒 Starters
1. Broad beans and chicory (single portion in a cocotte)
Puree of dried broad beans with sautéed chicory.
Raw Apulian extra virgin olive oil.
2. Octopus alla pignata (small portion)
Slow-cooked octopus with cherry tomatoes and celery.
Soft and aromatic.
3. Taralli, Leccine olives and Capocollo di Martina Franca
Traditional cold dish.
🍝 First course
⭐ Orecchiette pasta with turnip greens, anchovies and tarallo bread
Traditional version.
Possible addition of a variation (scrambled breadcrumbs or lemon).
🍖 Second
Grilled Apulian bombette
Capocollo rolls with salt, pepper and cheese.
Serve with a side dish of blanched cherry tomatoes or barattiere salad.
🍰 Dessert
Lecce pastry
Custard cream wrapped in fragrant shortcrust pastry.
🍷 Wine pairing (Puglia)
Starters: Verdeca or Fiano Minutolo
First: Bombino Bianco
Second: Young Primitivo di Manduria or Nero di Troia
COMPLETE LUCANO MENU – Land & Farming Traditions
🫓 Starters
1. Matera bread with pepper cream and crusco
Toasted bread, delicious sweet/crunchy cream.
2. Seasoned Lucanian sausage
Thinly sliced, served with local cheeses.
3. Lucanian salt water
Stale bread, tomatoes, onion, oregano and extra virgin olive oil.
🍝 First course
⭐ Orecchiette pasta with turnip greens and crusco peppers
Lucanian version: simple, fragrant, with a unique crunchiness.
🍖 Second
Sheep in pastoral setting
Slow cooking with vegetables, herbs and tomato.
Intense, typical of the inland areas.
Lighter alternative:
Lucanian salt cod with peppers
More delicate and very traditional.
🍰 Dessert
Torn apart
Soft cocoa and almond biscuits.
Or:
Copeta (almond or walnut nougat).
🍷 Wine pairing (Basilicata)
Starters: Greco di Matera
First: Aglianico del Vulture rosé
Second: Aglianico del Vulture (more structured)
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