Italian · Authentic-ish Italian
Cime di Rapa Saltate
126 kcal a serving, against 218 for the traditional version. That is 92 kcal off, or 42%, with 8.2g of protein. Serves 4. 15 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A classic southern side dish. Bitter greens are briefly boiled until tender, then tossed into a frying pan with a huge amount of olive oil, sliced garlic, dried chilli and some anchovy fillets. The anchovies melt into the hot oil, creating a rich, salty dressing that coats the greens completely.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g of olive oil down to 15g
Olive oil is pure fat. Slashing it removes a huge chunk of energy from the plate while keeping the essential base for frying the garlic.
What it costs you. You lose the luxurious, slippery mouthfeel of the original. The greens are dressed, not drenched.
15g of anchovies up to 30g
Anchovies are basically free flavour and they pack a decent punch of protein. Doubling them makes up for the missing oil by blasting the broccoli with intense, salty depth.
What it costs you. You end up with a full-frontal assault. The version that's a delicate dressing is still out there and still better. It's aggressively fishy, so if you're on the fence about anchovies, this'll push you right over it.
Turnip tops swapped out for 800g of broccoli
Turnip tops are notoriously hard to find in a standard British supermarket. Broccoli is cheap, available all year, and its florets act like sponges for the garlic and anchovy oil.
What it costs you. Broccoli is much sweeter. You lose that bracing, bitter edge that makes the authentic dish so interesting.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 218 | 126 |
| Protein | 7.1g | 8.2g |
| Fat | 16.3g | 5.5g |
| Saturated fat | 2.4g | 1g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.2g | 15.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.3g | 6.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Italian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. fish.
The method is in the book
This is a brilliant side dish for a piece of grilled fish or chicken breast. By stripping out the excess oil and leaning heavily on the anchovies, you get a plate of greens that fights back. It's punchy, salty, and incredibly deeply flavoured, for a fraction of the usual energy.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Italian, along with 59 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.