Braised Hakurei Turnips & Radishes - In a mustard sauce?

This week in our e-mail from The Food Project, http://www.thefoodproject.org/, we received our list of produce that we would be picking up, along with a recipe.  I love that they are working with the members to help create meals using the produce included each week.  For me, I had never used hakurei turnips in my cooking and appreciated the recipe.  Their recipe called for turnips, but since I also received radishes, I decided to add them to the pot.  Another easy, delicious, healthy dish...

Braised Hakurei Turnips & Radishes

Olive oil
1 lb. Turnips and radishes, quartered
Salt and pepper
1/2 Cup vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. Dijon
1 Tsp. Cornstarch

Saute the turnips and radishes in a hot pan with olive oil and brown for 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper while cooking.

Add vegetable broth, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Remove vegetables from pan.  Stir Dijon and cornstarch together and add to broth, stirring and cooking for 2-3 minutes. 

Pour over vegetables and serve.

I was a little hesitant with the Dijon, but it was tasty and once again, Jim devoured the dish.  I served this earlier in the week along with the spinach and watercress soup. 

Like I said, easy, delicious and healthy.  I could get used to this...

Fino a quel momento (until that time)

LID

Hakurei Turnips and Radishes

This week in my bundle was another item I had never heard of.  It's amazing I have gone through so many years without knowing much about vegetables.  Until I jumped both feet into the world of food, I stayed with what was known and never wavered.

Well that has certainly changed as today I cooked another new vegetable - Hakurei Turnips.  They are Japanese, white, fresh and crisp tasting.  Much of what I read said the hakurei were great just by slicing and eating raw.  They were right - I tasted them and it worked.  

I decided to pair these with radishes.  Did you know radish in Italian is ravanello?  I just adore some of the translations.  It sounds like someone's name and I actually think I knew someone with a similar name.  

After considering a number of ways to cook these delights, I made the decision to cut them up and roast them in the oven using a few items from the CSA farm share.  As a good friend of mine knows, I hate to waste food - right Deb? 

Roasted Hakurei Turnips and Radishes

Preheat oven to 400

Trim ends and cut turnips and radishes in half or quarters depending on size.

2 Tablespoons peanut oil

Roast for 20 minutes

Remove from oven, add

2 Tablespoons soy sauce 

2 chopped scallions 

Garlic scape

Salt and pepper to taste

Return to oven for five minutes and it's done.  Yes, that easy and a great taste. 

I've been busy catering so it's difficult working these in, but I'm loving the experience of working with new and exciting vegetables and will continue to document my experiments in the year of the CSA...

Fino a quel momento (until that time)

LID