Carrots and Turnips in a Hoisin Glaze

It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of turnips. I have tried them with miso; I have tried them with potatoes. I have tried them in a soup; I have tried them with a group. I do not like turnips or their greens. I do not like them Sam I Am. :) 

Yet, I belong to a CSA that grows a wide variety of turnips. I realize I will probably never love turnips, but I do feel like I could learn to at least tolerate them. Turnips are high in vitamin C and their greens are high in the same things most green leafy vegetables are high in: vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K. 

And low and behold in our CSA box this week, we got a bunch of white baby turnips. 

Also in our box were: a bag of baby spinach (green monsters!!), baby bok choy, asparagus, hon tsai tai (similar to mustard greens), french breakfast radishes, pea vine, overwintered parsnips, rhubarb, garlic scapes (my favorite!) and potato onions. 

I read that the fresher the turnips, the less bitter tasting they can be. So, with a bunch of super fresh and small turnips in my fridge, I thought these would be perfect to experiment with finding a delicious recipe to find turnips palatable.

Thus enter Carrots and Turnips in a Hoisin Glaze. 

I found this recipe in The Meatless Gourmet by Bobbie Hinman. I love this cookbook. I've had it for years, and I love all the recipes I try in it. I love the simplicity in many of the recipes. Today's recipe is a great example of that simplicity. I was tempted to add other veggies to this dish but forced myself to keep it to just two. Any two veggies would be delicious here. If you don't have turnips, broccoli would especially be fantastic with the carrots.

The glaze is ridiculously easy. Just mix hoisin sauce with a little sugar and water. Done. You could get fancy and make your own hoisin sauce, but I find the store bought kind to be just perfect. 

Hoisin has been called Chinese barbecue sauce. However, it tends to be more salty than sweet, which is the main difference between typical American barbecue sauce. When Bobbie Hinman said that she has yet to meet a vegetable that didn't taste better with a little hoisin sauce, I knew this would be a perfect recipe to use to learn to like turnips.

I did modify this slightly to include the nutritiously rich turnips greens in the dish too. They were a fantastic addition. This dish is sweet, but not cloyingly so. As a bonus, I liked it enough to eat the left overs the next day (this is saying a lot!). While I still don't love turnips, I do love this dish. 

If you have any other turnip recipes that make you fall in love with the little root vegetable, pass them on! I'd love to try them!

Sneak Preview: Next post will be all about a mosaic table I just finished as part of my redecorating project!

Carrots and Turnips in a Hoisin Glaze

2-4 servings, 35 minutes

2 cups carrots, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch long pieces (or quartered baby carrots)

1 cup baby white turnips, scrubbed, ends trimmed, and cut in half

1 bunch baby white turnip greens, washed and coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 inches fresh ginger, minced

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon oil (grapeseed, canola, etc.)

1. Prepare all the vegetables before beginning cooking since the cooking time is minimal. Mix together in a small bowl the hoisin sauce, sugar, and water. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic. Let cook for about 20 seconds, or until fragrant.
3. Add the carrots and 2/3 cup of the hoisin sauce mixture. Cook for about 5-7 minutes. Add the turnips, turnip greens, and the rest of the sauce mixture. Cook for another 2-4 minutes. The vegetables should still be crisp and not over cooked. The greens should be vibrant in color.
4. Serve over rice. 

Print this recipe. Inspired by The Meatless Gourmet by Bobbie Hinman.

Spring Kickin' Radiatore

It took a while to get here, but what delicious results! It's not a secret that I'm a huge pasta fan. But over the last few weeks, I've been searching for a fabulous new pasta recipe. I'm happy to say that I finally found it! 

My pasta craving started when I travelled to Denver, Colorado earlier this month. I ordered the Mac and Cheese at Wynkoop Brewery after a long day of attending training classes. Comfort food was just what I needed.

The beer bread crumbs were fantastic, and the dish was good overall. But it didn't satisfy my pasta craving. I thought maybe a dish that wasn't so heavy would be better. So, I tried this Udon Noodle Salad.

Perfect for a hot summer day, this cold noodle salad had an assortment of fresh veggies with a wonderful ginger vinaigrette dressing. Left overs were not nearly as good and so I continued my search.

When we got our first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box from Harmony Valley Farm, I was inspired to make a version of my favorite Lemon Tossed Linguine with the fresh chives and asparagus. Since I was out of linguine, I made it with elbow macaroni. It wasn't nearly as good as the original version. Alas.

 Knowing that we receive another CSA box this week, I knew I needed to use up a lot of the veggies we received a couple weeks ago. Here's what our box contained!

sunchokes, parsnips, French Breakfast Radishes, arugula, salad mix, nettles,
green garlic, asparagus, Egyptian Walking Onions, rhubarb, and chives.

Bonus idea: my favorite thing to do with rhubarb is to make a coulis (it takes 15 minutes - so easy!) and mix a couple teaspoons of coulis with sparkling water for a delicious Rhubarb Spritzer. The spritzer is also dangerously good with some cake vodka... Go make this now!

The Spring Kickin' Radiatore dish gets its spice from the bitter arugula and the red pepper flakes. But the lemon and the use of all these spring vegetables makes it perfect for a spring day. Plus, I used tricolor radiatore and it was so pretty! 

A couple notes about some of the less common ingredients

Green Garlic: This is simply an immature garlic plant. If left alone, it would produce a garlic bulb. It looks identical (to me) to green onions but smells like garlic. It's more mild than garlic cloves, which you can substitute if you don't have green garlic.

Egyptian Walking Onions: These also look similar to green onions and get their name by the way they grow. They taste fairly mild, kind of like leeks. 

Nettles: Considered by many to be a painful weed, nettles have jagged leaves that have formic acid on them and cause a painful stinging on any exposed skin. However, they are a super food! They are high in protein, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, magnesium, and potassium. They are also an anti-inflammatory - nettle tea is said to help with allergies and arthritis. As long as they are washed well (use gloves) and then cooked, the stinging will not be a problem. This recipe is unique because it not only uses the greens, but it cooks the pasta in the super healthy "tea" water. Double bonus. :) 

If you substitute another green for nettles, you can just add it with the arugula instead of blanching beforehand. 

Spring Kickin' Radiatore
4 servings, 40 minutes

1 cup nettles (or arugula, kale, or spinach)
8 oz radiatore (or similar spiraled-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 stalks green garlic (or 2 cloves garlic), chopped
2 tablespoons Egyptian Walking onions (or green onions), chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup tomatoes, petite diced
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
1 cup arugula, finely chopped
1/2 cup chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a big pot of salted water to boil. Place the nettle leaves in the water and boil for about 7-10 minutes. Scoop out, rinse with cold water, and chop finely. Set aside.
2. Add radiatore to nettle water. Cook for about 15 minutes or until al dente. Reserve about a cup of pasta water, then drain.
3. In a small sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, and red pepper flakes. Cook until softened and fragrant - about 5 minutes or so.
4. Add tomatoes and cook for another minute or two. Add wine, if using, and let simmer for about 5 minutes (or longer if you have the time).
5. Stir in the arugula, nettles, chives and lemon zest. Cook for about 3 minutes. Taste. Season with salt and pepper. 
6. Stir sauce into pasta. Add the lemon juice and the pasta sauce. Thin with pasta water until desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. 

Print this recipe.