I made a takeoff on a wonderfully simple recipe last night. Glazed Hakurei Turnips. Little sweet things. We get them fresh from a local farmer.
This is simple and very nice.
Enjoy.
Glazed Hakurei Turnips
Ingredients
3 bunches baby hakurei turnips, baby turnips, or red radishes (about 2 pounds), trimmed, greens reserved
1/2 sweet onion chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sugar/ 2 tablespoons maple syrup (the real stuff)
Kosher salt
Preparation
Place turnips in a large skillet; add water to cover turnips halfway. Add onions. Add butter, sugar/maple syrup, and a large pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and turnips are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. (If turnips are tender before liquid has reduced, use a slotted spoon to transfer turnips to a plate and reduce liquid until syrupy.)
DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before continuing. (This is the best part of the whole recipe!)
Add turnip greens to skillet with reduction liquid and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, 2–3 minutes. Season with salt. Add turnip roots to coat and warm.
Never tasted turnip greens, Dan? Oh my.
Sweeter than kale, not as sharp as mustard greens, more delicate than collards. Don’t know what else to say, except give them a try.
Clean Fifteen: Buying organic is more sound environmentally, but if you can’t, these options are less contaminated and don’t pose as much of a health threat as do the dozen above.
Other disheartening data from the report includes:
~ Some 98 percent of conventional apples have detectable levels of pesticides. ~ Domestic blueberries tested positive for 42 different pesticide residues. ~ Seventy-eight different pesticides were found on lettuce samples. ~ Every single nectarine USDA tested had measurable pesticide residues. ~ As a category, grapes have more types of pesticides than any other fruit, with 64 different chemicals. ~ Thirteen different pesticides were measured on a single sample each of celery and strawberries.
I love turnip greens. Probably right up there with mustard greens as my favorite. Here people tend to cook them mixed with diced turnip root. I’ve never had baby turnips served along with the greens before though. That’s a great presentation Don.
Although Don called them “baby hakurei turnips,” they are mature at 1 to 1-1/2 inch diameter, and begin to get pithy around 2 inch diameter. Sweeter, fruitier, and more delicate than varieties like the Southern standard, purple top white globe.
