Chef Juliette
Haricots Blancs à l’Américaine (Lima Beans)
Lima beans, lean bacon, and tomato sauce show the quiet discipline of binding: cook the beans gently, drain them thoroughly, and coat each one until glossy, never soupy.
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Turnip-tops
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2180, Turnip-tops, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Fanes de navets à l’anglaise turn young greens into neat, tender squares through one severe little lesson: cook plainly, then press thoroughly, because trapped water, not lack of ornament, is what ruins them.
Side Dishes
French
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
15 min
Active Time
15 min cook•30 min total
Yield4 servings
Fanes de navets à l’anglaise (turnip tops plainly boiled and pressed) teach a severe and useful lesson: with tender greens, water management is seasoning. Cook them until the thin stems yield, then drive out every loose drop, and the leaves become compact, clean-tasting squares rather than a wet heap. The pressing decides the dish.
The original entry assumes a brigade cook who already knows Chou à l’Anglaise (No. 2101), a service quantity of greens, and two plates ready at the pass. Your home equivalent is simpler: one pound of young tops, a roomy pot, a colander, and the same two-plate press for four people. The large batch and holding pan are brigade scaffolding and can go. Plain water, thorough pressing, and the final squares must stay, because they are the preparation itself.
No fond, roux, reduction, or emulsion belongs here; the source means plainly in water and nothing richer. This is not poverty of technique but its test. Watch the thickest tender stem, not the clock, then press while the greens are still hot enough to release their water. If they weep after cutting, press once more. Ça se rattrape.
Fanes de navets à l’anglaise belongs not to a French region but to the English luncheon table, which the French classical canon recorded among its named foreign styles. Young turnip leaves entered that repertoire through Chou à l’Anglaise (No. 2101), whose plain-water cooking and plate pressing provided the model for other greens. The common misconception is richness: in this entry Anglaise means no sauce, crumb coating, or butter finish, only water, pressure, and neat cutting.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
young turnip tops
Quantity
12 lightly packed cups (2.8 L / 450 g), for Chou à l’Anglaise (No. 2101)
tough stalks discarded and leaves thoroughly washed
cold water
Quantity
12 cups (2.8 L / 2.8 kg)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| young turnip topstough stalks discarded and leaves thoroughly washed | 12 lightly packed cups (2.8 L / 450 g), for Chou à l’Anglaise (No. 2101) |
| cold water | 12 cups (2.8 L / 2.8 kg) |
Equipment Needed
- •5 to 6-quart (4.7 to 5.7 L) pot
- •Large colander
- •Two sturdy heatproof dinner plates
- •Oven mitts or folded kitchen towels
- •Broad chef’s knife
Instructions
- 1
Sort the tops
Separate the leaves and their slim, tender stems from any thick or stringy stalks. Wash them through two or three changes of cold water, lifting the greens out each time so grit remains at the bottom of the basin. Keep the small stems; they give the finished squares structure and should become tender in the same time as the leaves.
This preparation truly needs young tops. If a stalk is thick, fibrous, or difficult to cut cleanly with a fingernail, remove it rather than hoping the pot will soften it. - 2
Cook à l’anglaise
Bring the water to a full boil in a roomy pot. Apply Chou à l’Anglaise (No. 2101) to the turnip tops: lower in the greens, press them beneath the water with a spoon, and let the pot return quickly to the boil. Cook uncovered for 4 to 6 minutes, turning once, until a slim stem crushes readily between your fingers and the leaves are tender without dissolving. Anglaise means plainly in water here, so add neither fat nor sauce.
- 3
Drain and press
Tip the greens into a colander and let the first rush of water drain for 1 minute. Mound them on a heatproof dinner plate, cover with a second plate placed face down, and use folded towels or oven mitts to press the plates firmly together over the sink. Tilt away the expressed water, press again, and continue until no little pool gathers around the greens. If they still weep later, don't despair. Ça se rattrape: return them between the plates and press once more.
- 4
Cut neat squares
Transfer the compressed greens to a board and gather them into an even slab about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. Square the edges with the side of a broad knife, then cut the slab into roughly 2-inch (5 cm) squares or lozenges. Lift each piece with the flat of the knife so it keeps its shape. Neatness comes from pressure, not fussing.
- 5
Serve them plainly
Arrange the squares on a warmed serving plate and bring them straight to the table. Their appeal is the clean, faintly peppery taste of young turnip leaves and the compact tenderness created by pressing, with no garnish to disguise either. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Buy the tops attached to small, firm turnips whenever possible. Look for crisp slim stems and leaves without yellow patches; mature, fibrous greens want a longer braise and are not the vegetable described here.
- •Use a roomy pot and enough water to recover its boil quickly after the greens go in. Crowding cools the water, lengthens the cooking, and turns tender leaves dull before their stems soften.
- •Press over the sink with two sturdy heatproof plates and protect your hands. The plates are not quaint presentation; they are the tool that changes loose boiled greens into compact squares.
- •Serve these beside a plain omelette, roast chicken, ham, or a pork chop. The greens supply a pleasant bitterness and ask for no competing garnish.
Advance Preparation
- •Wash and trim the turnip tops up to 1 day ahead. Dry them well, wrap loosely in a clean towel, and refrigerate in a covered container.
- •The boiling, pressing, and cutting are best done just before serving. Have the water boiling and the plates ready when the rest of supper is nearly finished; the greens need only about 10 minutes from pot to table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 70g)
Calories
35 calories
Total Fat
0 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
40 mg
Total Carbohydrates
6 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
2 g
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