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When I picked up my CSA share this week, one of the choices was Japanese turnips. Another lady who was picking up her share asked how to prepare them, and this prompted a long discussion. The woman who runs my CSA said that she eats them raw (which you can do with the Japanese variety), and I mentioned roasting them or mashing them with potatoes. We then bounced a few more ideas off of each other and both left with a bunch of turnips (even though before this discussion I probably would have picked the radishes or popcorn instead). Once I got home, I flipped through several cookbooks to plan a course of action. As luck would have it, this month's cookbook of the month, Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything," had a fabulous looking recipe.Braised turnips with mustard sauce (adapted from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything")
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb turnips, small ones quartered and large ones cut into eighths
salt and pepper
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add turnips, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brown, stirring frequently, for about 10 min. Pour in veggie stock, cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 10-15 min, until turnips are tender. Remove turnips, leaving liquid in the pan, and set aside. Stir mustard and arrowroot powder together, and then add this to the remaining liquid in the pan. Let this cook over low heat until it thickens (2-3 min), and then pour over turnips. Serves 2.
I really enjoyed this dish, and the Japanese turnips were great. I think this was my first time having them, and they seem to have a milder taste than traditional turnips. I'm a huge fan of mustard, too, so I knew that I couldn't go wrong with a mustard sauce. I'm sure that this recipe would be great for traditional turnips, as well, and I'll likely be making it again once they arrive. I'm submitting this for Weekend Herb Blogging, which is organized by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once and is hosted by Graziana from Erbe in Cucina this week.
7 comments:
It's great that your CSA can offer a little support in how to prepare some of the less traditional produce that they offer. Otherwise a lot of people would stick to what they know instead of branching out, as you did. Having grown up in MI, I'm also happy to know that there are CSAs in my home state! (No longer live there, but visit often.)
I found you on TasteSpotting and am writing to say that if you have any photos that aren’t accepted there, I’d love to publish them. Visit my new site (below), it’s a lot of fun! I hope you will consider it.
Best,
Casey
Editor
www.tastestopping.wordpress.com
Casey - I definitely appreciate the ideas from my CSA (both in the newsletter and through conversations at the pick-up). It's especially helpful with the veggies that I've never tried before and have no clue what they're going to taste like.
Your site is a really good idea, and I might be sending my rejected pics your way. Thanks for letting me know about it!
I never heard of Japanese turnips... they looks scrumptious. Thank you for sharing this with WHB!
Graziana - I had never heard of Japanese turnips, either, but I'm glad that I discovered them! Thanks again for hosting WHB this week!
Does "Whole grain mustard" just mean the seeds?
Ashley - Sorry that I wasn't very clear about that! I mean the processed condiment that has whole mustard seeds in it (not the bright yellow kind, but the darker kind with seeds). I bet any kind of mustard would work, though.
I modified the recipe by adding the chopped turnip greens to the frying pan a few minutes before adding the stock. You also need to use a little more stock of you do that. The greens are wonderful (I peeled the thick stems off before chopping)and give a depth of flavor and texture to the dish.
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