Archive for Winter

Pan-Fried Turnips

August 10, 2010 · Filed under Autumn, Dish Type, Side/Salad, Spring, Summer, Winter · Tagged

Posted by Lisa

Pan-Fried Turnips

Turnips are another under-appreciated vegetable, I think.  They really aren’t all that common in American kitchens.  I’ve made turnips in quite a few different dishes, from stews and sautées to sliced onto lettuce-based salads and starring in a turnip slaw.  Out of all the preparations I’ve tried, the one we love most and, incidentally, the one I prepare most frequently is pan-fried turnips.  The simplicity of this dish makes it perfect for a busy evening, but the taste is outstanding.  Almost browning the butter in the sauté pan before adding the turnip wedges  imparts a slightly nutty and smooth flavor, while the caramelized  edges of the turnips are sweet and tender and some of the centers are just faintly bitter, but not unpleasantly so.  The whole pan of turnips is always eaten up when I prepare this side dish and it’s enjoyed by even our pickiest eater.

Pan-Fried Turnips

printable recipe

  • two bunches of turnips (or about 1 1/2 pounds loose turnips)
  • 2-3 tablespoons butter
  • sea salt

Wash and trim the ends from the turnips.  Cut into wedges. I cut smaller turnips into quarters and larger into 1/8′s or 1/12th’s.  Heat a heavy bottomed sauté pan (I always use my enameled cast iron pan) over medium-high heat.  When pan is hot, add enough butter to coat the bottom of the pan when it is melted.  Right before butter starts to brown, add turnip wedges.  Continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  You want the cut edges to brown nicely, but they can also start to burn pretty quickly.  When the turnips are nicely browned, reduce heat to low and continue to cook until they are tender all the way through.  When the turnips are tender, remove from heat and season to taste with sea salt.

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Beefy Lentil and Root Vegetable Soup

April 23, 2010 · Filed under Autumn, Main Dish, Spring, Winter · Tagged , , , , , ,

Posted by Lisa

Beefy Lentil and Root Vegetable Soup

Family, why do you frown upon Indian spiced lentils?  It’s my favorite lentil preparation.  What’s a home cook to do?  Try again apparently, this time without the Indian spices.

The word beefy in the recipe title may be misleading.  There’s not actually much beef in here, but it does have a big, beefy flavor thanks to the home-made stock from meaty soup bones.  Since we don’t eat a whole lot of meat around here anymore, that’s beefy to me.  I understand it won’t necessarily be to people who eat a lot of meat.

This soup is easy to prepare, but since it requires making stock from scratch, it is time intensive.  I would allow about five hours.

Beefy Lentil and Root Vegetable Soup

printable recipe

  • 1 – 1 1/2 pounds meaty beef soup bones
  • 5 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cooking fat (I used lard)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 large or 2 medium parsnips, 1/2″ dice
  • 1 large or 2 medium carrots, 1/2″ dice
  • 1 small to medium celery root, peeled and 1/2″ dice
  • 2 cups lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • freshly ground pepper
  • sea salt

Place bones, crushed garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt in a large, heavy bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven.  Cover with water, approximately 3 quarts.  Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat.  On a low simmer, cook until the stock looks brownish and the meat is falling off the bones, about 3 hours.  Strain the stock and reserve the bones and meat.  Using the same pot on medium high heat, melt fat.  When fat is hot add onions, parsnips, carrots and celery root.  Cook until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  When vegetables are brown, add strained beef stock, lentils, thyme, freshly ground pepper and about 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.  While soup is cooking, remove the beef from bones when they are cool enough.  Roughly chop the meat.  When the lentils and vegetables are tender, add the chopped beef and adjust seasonings to taste.

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Meal Plan: 4/16-4/22/10

April 22, 2010 · Filed under Meal Planning, Spring, Winter · Tagged

Posted by Lisa

Spring vegetables are almost here and we look forward to them, but in the meantime we still savor the sweet flavors of winter root vegetables and the welcome green of rapinis.  Our CSA share included:  collard greens, kale rapini (2), potatoes, carrots, celery root, green onions, leeks, and onions.

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Carrots and Parsnips with Leeks and Mint

April 5, 2010 · Filed under Side/Salad, Spring, Winter · Tagged , ,

Posted by Lisa

Carrots and Parsnips with Leeks and Mint

Parsnips are like a nuttier cousin of carrots, I think.  They have the sweetness that carrots have, but they are more earthy.  I typically add them to soups or stews as I would with carrots, but we have amassed quite a few parsnips over the past few weeks and I wanted to incorporate them into a side dish.  My family doesn’t enjoy them by when they are the main ingredient in a dish, so I thought I would pair them with carrots.  It was a delicious pairing.  Leeks added a delicious flavor and the mint was subtle but still detectable; the whole dish was a perfect side with our Easter ham.

Carrots and Parsnips with Leeks and Mint

printable recipe

  • 2 large carrots, sliced
  • 2 large parsnips, sliced
  • 1 leek, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped mint
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a medium to large sauté pan.  Place pan on medium heat.  Stir as butter starts to melt.  When butter has melted, place lid on pan and stir every few minutes to prevent sticking.  Cook until carrots and parsnips are tender and leeks have started to caramelize, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Meal Plan: 3/12-3/18/10

March 15, 2010 · Filed under Meal Planning, Winter · Tagged

Posted by Lisa

Our CSA share included the following items:  turnip rapini, collard greens, castelfranco chicory, parsnips, carrots, onions, leeks and garlic.

Our freezer is getting more and more empty of meat, so I am trying to make it last as long as possible.  I’m purchasing things like wild-caught salmon when I find it on sale to help in that effort, but you will see from past and future meal plans that the less than half of our meals contain meat.

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Chili Spiced Sweet Potatoes

March 9, 2010 · Filed under Autumn, Meal Planning, Side/Salad, Winter · Tagged

Posted by Lisa

Chili Spiced Sweet Potatoes

I always thought that I wasn’t a big fan of sweet potatoes, but I had primarily eaten them in a sweetened casserole at Thanksgiving and I’m still not a fan of that type of preparation.  Sweet potatoes are so healthy, one serving is a mega-dose of Vitamin A and full of fiber.  Their flesh is, of course, slightly sweet, but they go well with a savory spice.  This particular spice combination added a delicious, but not overpowering flavor.  Roasting sweet potatoes is quick preparation, just allow plenty of time for cooking.

Chili Spiced Sweet Potatoes

printable recipe

  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into 1/2″ x 2″ sticks
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400º.  Combine all ingredients in a baking dish, 9″ x 13″ is a good size.  Place dish in oven.  Stir after about 15 minutes, when coconut oil has melted and you can stir to coat the sweet potatoes.  Cook for approximately 45 minutes longer, until sweet potatoes have begun to brown.  Stir several times during this time.  Serve warm.  These still taste delicious the next day, but their semi-crispy outside is best right after they are cool enough to eat.

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Meal Plan: 3/5-3/11/10

March 7, 2010 · Filed under Meal Planning, Winter · Tagged

Posted by Lisa

This week our CSA share included:  over-wintered greens mix, cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, leeks, and onions.

What are you eating this week?

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Dill Roasted Beets and Potatoes

February 28, 2010 · Filed under Autumn, Side/Salad, Spring, Winter · Tagged , ,

Posted by Lisa

Dill Roasted Beets and Potatoes

I love beets.  I love potatoes.  And I love dill.  Why did it take me so long to put the three together?  Beets and potatoes are both root vegetables, so it seems like a logical combination, but apparently not a common one.

I think dill weed is an under-appreciated herb.  Sure, fresh dill heads or dill seeds are well-known since they are in dill pickles, but I’m talking dill weed.  Fresh is obviously a much better choice than dried, but there’s no local, fresh dill to be found this time of year, so dried works well, too.  Dill weed has a fresh, light, grassy flavor with almost lemony notes.

The combination of the beets and potatoes was a really lovely contrast.  The beets are sweet and slippery, while the potatoes are soft and starchy.  Combined with the fresh, subtle flavor of dill, this dish was a real hit.  As with most roasted vegetable dishes, it’s a snap to prepare, but requires at least an hour of baking.

Dill Roasted Beets and Potatoes

printable recipe

  • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes*, cut into 1/2″ cubes (use whatever variety you have on hand)
  • 1 1/2 pounds beets*, cut into 1/2″ cubes
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed (or 2 teaspoons fresh dill weed)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • several grinds of pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Preheat oven to 400°.

Gently combine first five ingredients and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a baking dish.  A 9″ x 13″ baking dish or 12-14″ cast iron skillet will both work well.  Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until tender.  After you remove from the oven, drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix gently.  Serve warm.

*I don’t generally peel most root vegetables unless they have very blemished/bruised areas, but this is a personal preference.  Feel free to peel the potatoes and beets if you like.

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Meal Plan: 2/26-3/4/10

February 28, 2010 · Filed under Meal Planning, Winter · Tagged

Posted by Lisa

This week our CSA was taking a pre-scheduled break, so we didn’t receive our regular share.  We did, however, receive some beets and onions as a gift from friends and with some vegetables that I’ve been holding onto in anticipation of not getting our share this week, I’ve still got some local vegetables on hand.  I’ve tried to stick with what I have in the fridge and pantry this week so that I don’t have to spend a lot on groceries this week.

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Meal Plan: 2/19-2/25/10

February 22, 2010 · Filed under Meal Planning, Winter · Tagged

Posted by Lisa

This week in our CSA  share we received:  Brussel sprouts, Castelfranco chicory, collard greens, rutabaga, leeks, onions and garlic.

Soups and comfort food still dominate these wintry meal plans!

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