Ferrari's and Cima Di Rapa!

Shopping is not really my thing, unless its for food, or something particularly exciting.

I just find (as do many men i'm sure) the task of walking around countless shop after shop, staring and looking at things, i'm never ordinarily going to buy, frankly, quite tedious.

I mean I do shop for clothes, but I generally know what im going to buy.

So it was with real effort that I went out with the mission of buying a few "essentials". Things like nappies, new changing mat, etc, while baby stayed at home and got his favourite milky cereal fed to him.

Long story short, rather like the tale of that boy Jack (Jack and the Beanstalk, google it) sent out to sell a cow for market, and coming home with magic beans, I managed to forget half the things I was supposed to buy, but I did come home with this!!
 

Yes, its inappropriate for a 7 month baby.
Yes, it was relatively expensive.
But it's a Ferrari racing car!
A Formula 1 racing car, thats baby sized.

To an Italian, the sight of the blood red gleaming curvy body, the yellow and black prancing horse emblazoned on the side it is as I explained to my wife, an impossible lure to avoid.

As happens I imagine to many husbands who have made impulsive purchases, I had to quickly justify the purchase. On this occasion justification would be achieved by testing wether Sergio liked it, or else it was going back to the shop.

Fortunately he did, and like any great racing driver, he immediately set about adjusting the brake balance, fuel mixtures, and engine mapping.

I think he figured it out. The face of a contented Italian, sat on his prancing horse, if ever I saw one.

Which is probably similar to the look of contentment on my face, when I saw that our Cima di Rape was ready to harvest!  Almost like a bunch of flowers.

Basically it comes in a few forms locally, 40, 60, 90, 120 day varieties, the slower growing ones being the bigger, and having the best taste. I normally grow 40's and 90's. The idea being the 40's give you something to eat, very quickly, while your waiting for the slower varieties to mature. Using that method, means we have at least 3-4 harvests a season, which keeps us nicely stocked.

Apart from eating this with pasta, as mentioned in earlier blog posts, it also makes a delicious side to all kinds of meals, or is even great allowed to cool, and placed between chunky bread. Essentially the cooking method is the same, just wilt them down (heads and leaves) in a frying pan, with garlic, and few crushed dried chillies.

It is a real shame that British supermarkets don't stock these, as the unusual bitter taste, is absolutely delicious.

If anyone in the UK wants to give them a try, just google "seeds of italy" and you will find Paolo Arrigo's website, they stock the full range of Franchi seeds, including these (very inexpensive) which are literally throw in the ground and forget crops. Enjoy!