Turnips can be boiled, steamed, and stir-fried. Cook turnips until they are just tender-crunchy–less than seven minutes or so for a young turnip. The flavor will be mildly sweet and crisp. Steamed and boiled. Toss steamed small turnips with butter and parsley and serve. Boiled turnips can be mashed with butter and cream or puréed…
Fall Recipes
Red Cabbage and Apples
Red cabbage is particularly well matched to apples, red wine, and vinegar. The red cabbage leaf lacks the delicate flavor of the savoy cabbage. Rather it has a hearty, full flavor that stands up well to equally full-flavored foods. The red cabbage is ready for harvest when its head is firm and unyielding. It is…
Piloncillo and Pumpkin
Calabaza en Jarabe is pumpkin in syrup. This is a tasty old-fashioned Mexican dessert that you can serve for Halloween. Piloncillo is the traditional cone shape of unrefined sugar commonly used in Mexican cooking. Piloncillo (which means little pylon) is made when sugar cane is crushed, the juice is collected and boiled then poured into…
Turnip Cooking Tips
Let turnips surprise you. They may not be wildly popular but they can be tasty. Here are a few suggestions for serving turnips: • Serve slices of raw young turnips with olives and cherry tomatoes to make a simple appetizer. • Shave raw turnips, crisp them in iced water, sprinkle with salt, and serve as…
Daikon: Kitchen Basics
Daikon is a long white radish sweet-mild to peppery in flavor and juicy crisp. Once found only in Asian markets, daikon is now common at farm markets and is most flavorful in the fall and winter. Daikon–which means “long root” in Japanese–is most commonly eaten raw or stir-fried. It is a staple in nearly all…
Sunchoke Serving Suggestions
• Peel and chunk sunchokes, simmer in water with a squeeze of lemon until just tender about 10 minutes, drain and dress with lemon juice, olive oil, and chopped parsley. Add cubed avocado and sprinkle with crumbled bacon. • Cook sunchokes with potatoes, onions, celery, and herbs. Purée and add milk, cream, or butter to…
A Toast To You
Wes hál! Be hale! Be in good health! From the Old Norse language ves heill to the Old English wes hál to the Modern English Be in good health! This toast is to you on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. From wes hál came wassail, the drink, and the Anglo-Saxon tradition of wassailing–toasting to…