Your turnips are so sweet and tender they may well disappear before you get around to cooking them but if they don’t, by all means make the dish below with miso. The Salsa Verde—Italian Parsley sauce with lemon, garlic, oil—is an annual favorite and it enhances everything! Make a big batch of it, use it with the potato, chard and chicken recipe . . .
Napa Cabbage with Toasted Almonds and Cider Vinegar
Sautéed Chard with Jalapeno, Ginger and Sausage
Red Lentil Dal
Salsa Verde (Italian Parsley Sauce)
Turnips and their Greens with Miso
Chicken and Turnip Greens Stir-fry
New potatoes with Aioli/Mayo and Parsley
Chard, Herb-roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Scallion Mint Vinaigrette
Napa Cabbage with Cider Vinegar and Toasted Almonds
Only three ingredients in this simple dish. The crunch and depth of the deeply toasted nuts is critical. You could certainly try other nuts or seeds–I imagine walnuts and pine nuts would be good and probably also hazelnuts. This dish does not keep terribly well as the nuts lose their crunch so make it several times if you want, rather than a larger batch.
Serves 4
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
Scant 1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds, toasted nice and dark (I do this in a small skillet with just a little oil and salt–keep them moving so as not to burn or if you’re not in a rush do them over lower heat for longer)
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, more to taste
Salt
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the cabbage and a couple pinches of salt. Stir well and cook for about 90 seconds. You just want to warm it through and soften is just a touch. Add the cider, stir well and remove from the heat and transfer to a serving dish immediately. Toss with the almonds. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt and vinegar if you want a touch more acidity. Serve immediately.
Sautéed Chard with Jalapeno, Ginger and Sausage
This pairs very nicely with a very quick red lentil dal (below) and a cooling dollop of yogurt. You can also omit the sausage and fry a couple of eggs in the pan instead or just serve as is with dal or rice.
Serves 4
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece of ginger, grated or minced
1 small jalapeño, minced and seeded if you want less heat (taste the pepper before adding it all–they vary so widely in heat level and add according to taste)
1 large bunch chard, washed, stems finely chopped and leaves halved lengthwise and then cut cross-wise into bite-sized pieces
2 4-oz sausages, cut into rounds or crumbled
Salt
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chard stems, ginger, jalapeno and garlic and sausage and sauté for about 7 minutes, stirring often. Take care not to burn the garlic. When the sausage is nearly cooked through add the chard leaves and mix well. Add a pinch or two of salt. Stir well and cook for another 3-4 minutes until chard is tender but still bright.
Quick Red Lentil Dal
This takes 20 minutes (at the most) to make and is richly flavored. It’s delicious just with rice or with Sautéed Chard with Ginger, Jalapeño and Sausages, above, or with stewed meats or other vegetables or grains. It is superb the next day and freezes well so by all means double the recipe.
Serves 4
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1/2 an onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 jalapeño, thinly sliced (omit seeds if you’re nervous bout the heat level) or a whole one if you like spice
Salt
3 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons oil or ghee (clarified butter)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons brown/black mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
Put the lentils in a large sauce pan with the garlic, onion, Jalepeño and water. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover partially. Cook gently for about 12-15 minutes until the lentils are tender and beginning to fall apart.
In a small skillet heat the oil or ghee. When it’s shimmering add the mustard and cumin seeds and stir well. They will begin to pop and spit after 20 seconds or so. Add the turmeric, stir well and cook for another few seconds. Take off the heat and pour all of the spices and oil (scrape out well with a spatula) into the lentils along with 1 teaspoon salt and stir in well and cover. Garnish with chopped cilantro and season to taste with more salt if needed.
Turnips and Their Greens with Miso
I didn’t have turnip greens for this batch but by all means use them in this dish.
This is one of my favorite ways to prepare these tender turnips. This recipe makes quite a bit so feel free to halve it–which you’ll need to do anyway if you get a half share.
2 1/2 tablespoons white miso
3 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
3 pounds turnips, scrubbed and trimmed. You likely don’t need to peel them but taste and see if the skin is at all fibrous or tough and peel if it is.
1 or 2 bunches turnip greens, washed and chopped
Generous 1 cup water
2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
Chopped fresh shiso leaf (optional–I happen to grow it in my garden and it’s a nice addition here but by no means essential)
Stir together miso and 2 tablespoon butter.
Halve or quarter the turnips and put in a large heavy skillet along with water, mirin, remaining tablespoon butter, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then boil, covered, about 10-12 minutes.
Add greens by handfuls, turning and stirring with tongs and adding more as volume in skillet reduces. Cover and cook 1 minute. Uncover and continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until turnips are tender and liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 3 minutes. Stir in miso butter and cook 1 more minute. Serve hot.
Chicken and Turnip Greens Stir-fry
In this version I used pea shoots and turnip tops but just use all turnip tops.
–slightly adapted from Kitchen Diaries II by Nigel Slater
Chinese five-spice powder is a spice mix often made with fennel, star anise, cloves, cinnamon and Sichuan pepper. This stir fry comes together quickly and is fresh, spicy and delicious.
If you don’t have Chinese five spice do your best to make your own with spices in your pantry that include some of the above–use black pepper instead of Sichuan, skip the anise or add some coriander. . .
Serves 2
1 or 2 large bunches turnip greens, washed, dried and roughly chopped
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated on a microplane
1 small Serrano or jalapeño chili, minced (seeds removed unless you want it quite spicy)
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder (see headnote)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons peanut or sunflower oil
3/4 lb (or slightly more) diced, raw chicken (you can use thigh or breast or a combination)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Juice of one lime
In a medium bowl mix the ginger, garlic, hot pepper, spices and oil well. Add the chicken to the spice mixture and mix well. Heat a large skillet or wok until very hot. Add the chicken and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover the pan to help the chicken cook through quickly. Add the sugar and cook for another minute and then add the lime juice and the greens. Cook for just for 1 minute. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve immediately.
New potatoes with Aioli/Mayo and Parsley
And I didn’t have parsley for this one but use lots!
New potatoes, simply boiled and tossed with butter, parsley and/or chives is a classic preparation in Germany where I grew up. This recipe doctors them up just a bit more with some mustard and a little garlicky mayo.
Serves 4
6 medium potatoes (or more or less –scaled as needed), well scrubbed
2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/3 cup (more or less) homemade aioli or store-bought mayo doctored with minced/mashed garlic and a little salt
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook the potatoes until just tender, drain and let cool. Cut into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle.
In the bottom of a salad bowl mix the aioli/mayo, mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar. Add the potatoes and herbs and gently mix. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Salsa Verde (Italian Parsley Sauce)
This is a versatile, zippy Italian sauce. I often just make it with parsley, garlic, lemon juice or vinegar, oil and salt but the addition of capers and little onion makes it even more fun. Some versions include a couple of anchovies so by all means use them if you have them. And some include a hard boiled egg, the yolk mashed and combined with the other ingredients and the white, finely chopped and stirred in at the end.
You don’t need to use a food processor and I actually prefer the slightly rougher texture of it when all is chopped by hand but I often use the processor.
1 medium bunch parsley, well washed and stems removed (but don’t bother picking all the leaves off the remaining stems)
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)
1 small shallot or chunk of onion, finely diced (optional)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional) and chopped up a bit
2 small garlic cloves, minced
½ cup good olive oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or white or red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Either finely chop everything and zest the lemon (if using) and mix well or combine all the ingredients except the oil in the food processor and pulse until fairly uniformly and finely chopped. You don’t want to end up with a puree so don’t overdo it. Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse a couple more times. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, lemon juice or vinegar if needed.
Salsa Verde—Suggestions for using it:
- Drizzle generously over roasted veggies (very good with roasted cauliflower)
- Use as a spread for sandwiches
- Dress hardboiled eggs, canned Oregon Albacore and boiled potatoes
- Use as a dressing for a pasta or rice salad
- Dress white beans with it or stir it into a white bean puree for a delicious spread
- Stir a few tablespoons into a soup when serving.
- Delicious with sautéed shrimp or other seafood or grilled beef
Chard, Herb-roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Scallion Mint Vinaigrette (or Salsa Verde)
This is the loveliest platter of food—blanched chard and roasted chicken are dressed with the same, lemony, minty green onion vinaigrette. You can also roast the potatoes and cook the chard and use perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs (cover eggs generously with cold water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit in hot water for 8-9 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water) instead of chicken or you could use canned Oregon Albacore. The dressing is really what ties all together. You could also skip this dressing and use the Salsa Verde–Italian Parsley sauce (above) instead.
Serves 4
3 tablespoons sage, finely chopped
2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 large bone-in chicken breast half, preferably at room temperature (use eggs or Tuna instead—see headnote)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium to large potatoes, well scrubbed and cut into thumb-sized chunks
1/3 cup water
1 large bunch chard, well washed and stems separated from leaves
Dressing (or use Salsa Verde–above)
2 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced (greens and all)
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
6 tablespoons good olive oil (use the best you have)
8 sprigs mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450.
Mix the chopped rosemary, sage and salt with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Dry the chicken breast well. Use about half the herb mixture to cover the chicken on all sides, using your hands to thoroughly cover. Place chicken in an 8” x 13” baking dish.
Toss the potatoes with the remaining herb mixture and arrange the potatoes around the chicken. Add the 1/3 cup water and roast for 35 – 45 minutes. You can test the chicken by carefully cutting into the thickest part of the breast and checking for any pink flesh.
Meanwhile, stir together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt. It should be quite tart so don’t be shy with the lemon juice.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (use about 1 tablespoon of salt for 3 quarts of water). Chop the chard stems into 1-inch pieces. Pile the chard leaves on top of each other and cut the leaves lengthwise once or twice (depending on how big the leaves are) and then cross-wise four or five times.
Add just the chard stems to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, then add the chard leaves and cook for another 2 minutes. Drain well and press out as much moisture as you can against the side of the colander. Return the chard and stems to the pan and cover to keep warm.
When the chicken is done carve the breast into slices. You might need to use your hands to carefully loosen the bottom of the slices from the breastbone. Arrange the chicken on a large platter with the potatoes and the chard and drizzle the chard and chicken generously with the shallot vinaigrette. You can certainly dress the potatoes too, if you have plenty of dressing.