short and quick one on turnips themselves

yoga or hiking in the woods? either way I have only 20 minutes to decide, and typically that just happens by whatever direction I end up driving in. So, this will be quick...

I was flipping through Heidi Swanson's new cookbook at Barnes and Noble and noticed a four ingredient recipe that included turnips. Luckily I had just gotten these bad boys from my wonderful CSA and I wanted to do something else with them other than (a) cooking in a soup or (b) mashed with butter. So I tried to remember the recipe and the gist was roasted turnip chips with paprika and lime. sounds good right!?

They were alright, but I'm going to write you a recipe of things I should have done, instead of what I did.

Turnip Chips with paprika and lime

inspired by Heidi Swanson

Turnips from two bunches (I used 8 medium bulbs), washed, tops and bottoms off, and sliced thin (about the width of a nickel)

olive oil

sea salt

paprika (I used sweet spanish)

half a juicy lime

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. In a medium sized bowl, toss the turnip rounds with a good glug of olive oil (start off with a little and add more if needed), a big pinch of coarse sea salt, 1 teaspoon of paprika. Roast for 20 minutes on one side, then flip all of them and roast for another 20 minutes. Chips should be semi crispy.

2. On their way out of the oven, drizzle juice of half a lime over top and finish with another sprinkle of salt.

Save your greens

I know it might seem like a lot of work, but don't you dare throw the green tops from those beets, turnips, and carrots. Treat them like you would any old bunch of kale.

So this week, when I brough home the second week of my CSA share at Sandbrook Meadow Farm, the first thing I knew I wanted to make was Heidi Swanson's Turnip Green Tart. It's kind of like spicy cream of spinach soup (minus the soupiness) in a crunchy cornmeal crust. I hope that sounds good to you, because it sounds AMAZING to me.

Turnip Green Tart

adapted from 101cookbooks

note: the tart recipe makes two, so just freeze half of it either wrapped well in plastic wrap or better yet, press into a spare tart shell and freeze until future use, but no longer than 1 month

Tart shell:

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup coarse cornmeal (yellow polenta)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups salted butter, cold, cut into cubes

1 large egg yolk

1/3 cup ice cold water

Filling:

1/4 lbs turnip greens, rinsed, de-stemed, roughly chopped

1/2 cup roughly chopped yellow onion

2 medium garlic cloves

2 eggs and 1 egg yolk

3/4 cup vegetable broth (I ALWAYS use Rapunzels )

1/4 cup heavy cream

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons dijion style mustard

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

gruyere cheese for topping

1. In a food processor, mix flours, cornmeal and salt. Pulse in butter bit by bit until it resembles coarse sand. Add egg yolk and 1/4 cup of water. Once combined, pour in more water if needed to form a ball around the blade. Turn out onto a floured cutting board. Cut in half and freeze the other half. Place in fridge for 30 min-1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Press dough into a 9 inch round fluted tart pan and then put back into the fridge to firm up a little. Before you put the tart into the pan prick it all over with a fork, then bake for 25 minutes.

3. While the shell is baking, assemble the filling. Process all of the greens, onion and garlic in a food processor. Then add the eggs, process. Then in goes the broth and cream, process again. Finally, blend in the mustard, salt and red pepper.

4. Pour filling into the shell and bake for 25 minutes or until the center is set. When it is finished baking, grate some gruyere over top and brown under the broiler for a minute or so.

ENJOY