I tried kale for the first time using this recipe. I was amazed at how good it was. I would gladly call this comfort food and make a meal of it, even when I was nearly a non-vegetable eater. That's how good it is! Hope you try it! My comments are in red, bold brackets.
Quote:
Turnips with Greens
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
4 cups peeled turnip matchsticks (2 x ¼ “ )
2 cups quartered and thinly sliced onions
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh oregano (1½ to 2 tsp dried)
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp grd. black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
8 cups rinsed, stemmed and sliced greens ( Swiss chard, collards, kale, turnip, or mustard greens) [I usually use curly kale]
Preheat the oven to 350º. Oil a baking sheet. [I usually just cover a baking sheet with non-stick foil. Then I don't need extra oil.]
Place the turnips and onions in a bowl and toss them with 4 Tbsp of the olive oil and oregano. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the ends of the turnip matchsticks are golden brown and crisp. Remove them from the oven and set aside. [note: make sure you roast these long enough...or they aren't as sweet or as good. Look for brown edges on almost all the turnips, and taste a few to check for sweetness before removing from oven.]
In a nonreactive pan, cook the garlic in the remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil just until soft. Add the crushed red pepper, if using, and the greens. Cook, stirring often, for about 15 minutes until the greens are tender. Remove from the heat. Serve the greens in a large serving bowl or on a plate, topped with the toasted turnips and onions.
Serves 4, Total time: 1 hour Per 8 oz serving: 222 calories, 2.3 g protein, 18.2 g fat, 2.4g saturated fat, 14.6g carbs, 0 mg cholesterol, 203.5 mg sodium, 2.4 g total dietary fiber.
It really is good, Pookynut! You have to make sure you roast the turnips long enough, but they are SO good (sweet, even!) when they are done. I was amazed that I liked this so much, considering how healthy it is.
I have got to ask-who is going to cut turnips into matchstick size? Sounds like an interesting recipe but....I'm basically lazy, do you think chuncks could work?
I would cut turnips into matchsticks but refuse to travel way down there even for you. You could try it with 1/4" slices but might have to increase the roasting time. Of course, when you get as far as 1/4" slices, you may as well carry on and matchstick them.
Sarah, I'm one of the laziest people on the planet. Really. If I'm willing to cut them up, I'm sure you'd find they are very easy. You just cut them into strips, then cut the other way--it's very quick and easy. If you were looking for something faster, I'd try mincing them in a food processor: if they aren't very small and thin, they won't achieve the right amount of sweetness and you'll have a very bitter dish. Trust me, it's worth it! Last time I made this, I doubled the turnip/onion mix and froze half of it. Then all I had to do later was saute the kale and I was done!
Laurie, I had forgotten where I got this recipe and came to post it because it was so good. Luckily I saw your post first and didn't double post. This was amazing. I love turnips, kale, and onions individually, but they were obviously meant to live together. This is one of those dishes where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
By the way, I agree that cutting into matchsticks is important, it will be a different dish otherwise. It's not too much trouble to do. Doubling and freezing is a great idea.
ETA: I took the leftovers to family pizza night last night, and they were devoured by people ages 21 - 96 with demands for the recipe. Big hit!