White Out

Surrounded as we are by so much autumn color, a white out can be respite. And as it happens, white veggies are piled high, their ghostliness standing out at market booths: salad turnips, daikon, parsnips, cauliflower, celeriac and potatoes (white inside). So here are a few ways to enjoy them now. Added bonus: if you like them, you've got the savvy for winter treats because these are winter vegetables. P.S. You can get back to your roots here with preparations for Japanese (Hakurei/salad) turnips and celeriac. More celeriac coming soon because underneath that off-putting hairy, gnarly exterior is a very tasty and versatile vegetable that can brighten winter meals. NOTE OF APOLOGY: I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING OVER AN HOUR WITH THIS TERRIBLE BLOGSPOT JUST TO GET THE PRINT SIZE READABLE AND EQUAL AND I GIVE UP. I SO MUCH DON'T WANT THE MESS TO DETER YOU. IT ISN'T ME.

Spanish Cauliflower with capers

We went through a more elaborate caper studded Venetian cauliflower earlier in the season, later roasted cauliflower with Yemeni Zhoug dressing, and most recently pureed Greek cauliflower dip. This is a tribute to the tasty simplicity of Spanish cooking. It can be a side dish or tapa.
serves 4

1 large cauliflower, broken into florets, leaves reserved
Pinch of salt
1 scant c milk
Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
5 garlic cloves, sliced
5 tbsp drained capers
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
¼ c sherry or other white vinegar

Place the cauliflower florets in a large pan and cover with water. Add salt and milk. This will make the cauliflower whiter and prevent odors. Cook over a high heat until the florets are al dente – 8 min. Drain and refresh under cold running water, then set aside.

Pour a good drizzle of oil into a cold frying pan, add the reserved cauliflower leaves, garlic, capers and cumin seeds. Turn the heat to high. When the garlic turns golden, add the paprika and the sherry vinegar. Reduce the liquid for 30 seconds. Put the cauliflower in. Blend everything well and serve.

Tibetan Lamb with Daikon

before greens added

This one-pot meal comes from Kham, the far eastern quarter of Tibet famous for its fierce warriors and devout Buddhists. Tibetans use the daikon to absorb the lamb fat,--a neat trick. Labu Drikul, as it's known in Kham (labu means daikon), is a two-stage affair, so it can be made ahead. Traditionally it is served with rice or steamed bread to soak up the delicious gingery broth. P.S I will post a vegetarian daikon recipe in the next batch of roots.

Serves 4

1½ -3/4 lbs. stewing lamb pieces with bones
1 lg. daikon, peeled
2 med./lg. onions
3 inches fresh ginger, peeled
7 lg. garlic cloves, peeled
¼ tsp. Szechuan pepper or ¼ tsp. coarse ground black pepper & 1 dried chili
½ tsp. salt
4-6 cups water
1 lg. tomato, cored
¼ tsp. mild chili or 1/8 tsp. cayenne powder
1 tbsp. corn, safflower, canola, mustard oil
6-8 med. Asian mustard greens (1/2 a bunch)*
*You can substitute Spinach but you won’t get the pungent flavor. Turnip greens would supply it.

Cut the daikon into 2” long pieces (probably 5 to 6). Quarter one onion. Smash the ginger and 6 garlic cloves with the back of a knife. Put the lamb, daikon, quartered onion, ginger, garlic, pepper and ¼ tsp. salt in a medium casserole or lidded saucepan and barely cover with water. Depending on the width of the pot, this will require four to 6 cups. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 80-90 minutes, until the lamb is tender enough to fall easily from its bones. Remove the lamb and daikon from the broth. Boil the broth hard for 15 minutes to reduce it. (This is the point at which you can cool everything and put it in the refrigerator until you want to serve it.)

Take the lamb meat off the bones, discard the bones and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Cut the daikon lengths into thin (1/8”) discs, then cut them in half lengthwise so you have semicircles. Chop the remaining onion finely. Chop the tomato finely. Mince the remaining garlic clove. Degrease the broth and strain it.

Over high heat, heat the tbsp of oil in a wok or large sauté pan that has a lid. Add the onion and garlic. Stir fry to brown. Add the chili or cayenne pepper and blend. Add the lamb. Stir to blend. Keep cooking on high about 90 seconds to brown the lamb slightly. Add the chopped tomato, another ¼ tsp. salt and ½ cup of the broth. (If you’d like this really “stewy” and not braised, add ¾-1 cup of broth.) Cook about five minutes until the tomato dissolves into the juice and the broth is boiling. Coarsely chop or break the mustard greens in half or thirds (depending on their size), lay on top of the lamb and daikon, cover the pot and steam for two minutes. Remove the lid, stir the greens into the “stew”, adjust for salt and pepper and serve. You can use the remaining broth to make Scotch Broth or to pour over rice.


Hakurei Turnips with roasted sesame oil

These Japanese turnips, sometimes called "salad turnips" because of their mild flavor and the fact that you can eat them raw, resemble both beets and radishes when piled high at markets. They are often not available in retail stores so farmers' markets are where to find them and where I first discovered them about six years ago. In spring, they are really useful sliced in salads especially with buttermilk dressing. They brighten a summer slaw or stirfry. But right now they become absolutely addictive sautéed in sesame oil: sweet, peppery, and crunchy. If the greens are fresh throw them in.



The bunch of 7 you see in the photo will serve 4-5.



Wash and trim the roots off the turnips. Slice them into the thinnest disks you can. Coat the bottom or a medium skillet or frying pan with 2 tsp roasted sesame oil and 2-3 tsp corn oil--enough to coat the pan so the turnips don't stick. Get the oil hot over medium heat, add the sliced turnips and stir fry them a minute to get them going. If you need more oil add it. Continue to sauté the turnips until they soften and start to turn brown. Sprinkle on 1 tbsp sesame seeds and continue cooking until the edges of the disks start to really brown. Cook another minute or two to really caramelize them. Season with salt or soy sauce and serve immediately.

Kohlrabi Gratin 

This sci-fi seeming bulb, white but sometimes purple, is the long time hybrid of cabbage and turnip. Kohl
is German for cabbage so not surprisingly, this variation remains a German favorite. It's often grated into slaw. Baby ones can be stewed with chicken into a very comforting one pot meal. (Recipe in my book How to Fix a Leek...) Those with gout, edema and severe arthritis should avoid it, but for the adventurous it's worth a try. This Yotam Ottolenghi recipe is a simple, heart and stomach warming preparation traditionally used for potatoes. Vegetarians can serve with sauteed garlicky spinach, carnivores can serve with baked ham or roasted pork loin.
Serves 6

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1¼ c vegetable stock
1¼c heavy cream
1½ tsp Dijon mustard
1+ oz parmesan, grated
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
8 large sage leaves, finely chopped or 1 tbsp dried sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium-large kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 1”thick rounds
2.2 oz gorgonzola, broken into small pieces
1 oz panko breadcrumbs

Heat the oven to 400º.

Put the oil in a medium saucepan on over medium-high heat, add onion and sauté 8 min, stirring often, until soft and golden. Add the stock, cream, mustard, parmesan, garlic, sage and a good grind of black pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook so the liquid thickens slightly, maybe 4 min. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spread kohlrabi slices on a large board, sprinkle with three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, then layer them in a large 8X10 (or similar) ovenproof dish or casserole pan, slightly overlapping the slices as you go. This will form about five layers. Pour over the cream and onion mix, making sure a good amount is spread over the top kohlrabi layer of kohlrabi. Dot the gorgonzola on top and sprinkle breadcrumbs everywhere.

Bake 1 hr until the cream has thickened, the top is golden-brown and the kohlrabi is soft enough for a knife to cut through. Remove, and let it sit 5-10 min before serving.

  Celery Remoulade

From a farm that "cleaned" it

This is the classic French use of the celeriac bulb: grated raw into a creamy, mustard laced slaw. It's a palate cleanser perfect for roast chicken or turkey, grilled sausages or baked ham. It's a traditional appetizer and frequent component of that colorful tapa like spread called Hors d'ouvres variees. Its own variations (variées) include grating in a Granny Smith apple, tossing in thin strips of baked ham or bits of minced olives or capers to add saltiness.

Serves 6

1 c mayonnaise, homemade or store-bought

2 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
freshly-ground black pepper to your taste
2 1/4 pounds celery root (one large or two sm/medium
*2 tsp celery seed (this is my addition to the traditional recipe to rev the celery taste)

In your serving bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, lemon juice, and a few grinds of black pepper to make a dressing. If it seems very thick add 1 tsp at a time of olive oil. Peel the celery root and coarsely grate it.Add it to the dressing and blend well. Taste and adjust to your taste salt, pepper, mustard, and lemon juice. OPTIONAL: garnish with finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves

Parsnip Chowder

This is a wonderfully tasty autumn variation on corn chowder, incorporating another great bounty of the moment: mushrooms.

Serves 4-5

3 lg parsnips, peeled and washed

1/3-1/2 lb. mushrooms, cleaned

½ sm roasted red pepper, chopped, or 1 tbsp chopped pimentos

1 sm onion, peeled and diced

1 lg shallot, peeled and diced

1 tsp. cumin seed

½ tsp. celery seed

½ tsp. ground coriander

½ tsp. ground cumin

4 tbsp. butter (1/2 stick)

3 c vegetable broth or water

1 12oz can evaporated milk (whole not skim)

½ c half ‘n’ half or light cream

½ tsp. salt (more to your taste)

Freshly ground black pepper to your taste

½ c cracker crumbs or crumbled croutons

¼ c finely chopped fresh flat parsley leaves or chives

Slice the peeled parsnips into thin disks. Cut the larger disks in half so all pieces are close in size for better cooking. Chop mushrooms.

In a medium size, heavy gauge pot, melt 3 tbsp. butter. Add onion, shallot, mushrooms, cumin and celery seed. Stir to blend and sauté until vegetables are soft.  Add parsnips, ground coriander and cumin. Stir to

blend and sauté 60 seconds. Cover the pot contents with broth or water, bring to a boil, cover the pot and lower heat. Simmer 10-12 minutes until parsnips are tender but not mushy. Add liquid if necessary so there is always some even with the top of the vegetables. Stir in the evaporated milk and half ‘n’ half, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until soup is hot. Do not boil. Stir in 1 tbsp butter, the crumbs and parsley/chives. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.