A single missing ingredient can derail an entire evening service. In professional kitchens, supply chain reliability is not a nice-to-have — it is the foundation everything else rests on.
At LAPA, we supply Swiss foodservice professionals with over 2,000 carefully selected products — authentic Italian ingredients delivered on time, every time. Because great cooking starts with a supplier you can count on.
This recipe comes from Puglia, in southern Italy — a region that has turned simplicity into a culinary philosophy. Turnip greens with their clean bitterness, anchovies that melt into warm olive oil releasing a deep umami base, garlic, chili and a splash of dry white wine that ties it all together: the result is a pasta dish with remarkable depth, easy to execute and impossible to improve upon.
🏛️ Tradition
An iconic dish from Apulian peasant tradition: proof that humble ingredients, handled with knowledge and care, produce something far greater than the sum of their parts. Turnip greens and anchovies — two bold, assertive flavors — reach a precise equilibrium in this dish. Generations of cooks have served it. The best restaurants still do.
🛒 Ingrédients
- 320 g Spaghetti
- 1 kg Fresh turnip greens (cime di rapa)
- 10 fillets (approx. 40 g) Anchovy fillets in olive oil (drained)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 unit Fresh or dried chili pepper
- 80 ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 50 ml Dry white wine
- 20 g Coarse salt
- 5 g Fine salt
👨🍳 Instructions
- Step 1: Clean the turnip greens, removing tough outer leaves and fibrous stems. Separate the florets and tender leaves, then rinse thoroughly under cold running water.
- Step 2: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 20 g coarse salt. Cook the turnip greens for 5–7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve the cooking water.
- Step 3: In the same water, cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain very al dente.
- Step 4: In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the peeled and lightly crushed garlic cloves and the chili. Cook until golden, 2–3 minutes. Do not burn.
- Step 5: Add the drained anchovy fillets. Melt them into the oil over medium heat, pressing with a fork, for 1–2 minutes until fully dissolved.
- Step 6: Deglaze with the dry white wine. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes until the alcohol has fully evaporated.
- Step 7: Add the pre-cooked turnip greens to the pan. Toss for a few minutes to combine. Add a ladle of pasta water if needed to keep the sauce loose.
- Step 8: Transfer the al dente spaghetti directly into the pan. Toss vigorously for 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as needed until the pasta is evenly coated and the sauce is creamy.
- Step 9: Plate immediately. Finish with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil.
💡 Chef Notes
- Never discard the pasta and greens cooking water: its starch content is essential for building a creamy, cohesive sauce.
- Cooking the turnip greens in the pasta water saves time and enriches the cooking liquid.
- Adjust chili quantity to match the heat preference of your guests.
🛍️ Order LAPA Anchovies
For this dish, we use Anchovy Fillets in 100% Italian Olive Oil, Caught and Processed in Sicily — 680g Can. Available in the LAPA catalogue alongside over 2,000 products selected for Swiss professional kitchens.
Call us now: +41 76 361 70 21 — or browse the full LAPA catalogue.