May 30, 2019 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Baby White Turnips!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Potato Onions: Creamy Turnip Grits & Greens (see below); Cilantro Lime Rice; Taste of Home’s Radish Dip; Potsticker Stir-Fry

Green Garlic: Creamy Turnip Grits & Greens (see below); Cilantro Lime Rice; Creamy Green Garlic & Feta Dressing; Hon Tsai Tai and Shiitake Potstickers; Potsticker Stir-Fry; Bok Choi Salad with Sesame Almond Crunch

French Breakfast Radishes: Martha Stewart’s Radish Dip OR Taste of Home’s Radish Dip; Spring Tacos with Shrimp, Asparagus and Radish Leaf Pesto  

Asparagus: Spring Tacos with Shrimp, Asparagus and Radish Leaf Pesto; Roasted Asparagus Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Hon Tsai Tai: Hon Tsai Tai and Shiitake Potstickers; Potsticker Stir-Fry

Rhubarb: Rhubarb Turnovers; Curried Lentils and Rhubarb Chutney; More Rhubarb Recipes (That Are Not Pies!)

Mini Romaine Lettuce:  Creamy Green Garlic & Feta Dressing

Baby White Turnips: Creamy Turnip Grits & Greens (see below)

Baby Bok Choi: 10-Minute Lemon Garlic Sauteed Bok Choi; Bok Choi Salad with Sesame Almond Crunch

Cilantro: Curried Lentils and Rhubarb Chutney; Cilantro Lime Rice

Creamy Turnip Grits & Greens

This week’s featured vegetables is one of my favorite spring selections, baby white turnips.  While these are delicious simply sautéed in butter with the greens wilted on top, I wanted to try to come up with some other ways to use them.  So, with a little inspiration from Chef Vivian Howard, I came up with this recipe for Creamy Turnip Grits & Greens (see below).  Turnips are a popular vegetable in the south, and grits are also a popular southern dish.  So, I picked up Chef Vivian’s cookbook to see what she had to say about grits and turnips.  Chef Vivian is author of Deep Run Roots.  She also has several restaurants in North Carolina and was the star of PBS series, A Chef’s Life.  I consider her to be an expert on food from the Carolina Coastal plain.  This recipe is simple, but full of flavor.  If you’ve never cooked grits, it’s pretty darn simple and is similar to cooking oatmeal or risotto.  The component that kind of brings this whole dish together is the super simple and tasty Brown-Butter Hot Sauce Vinaigrette that you drizzle on top right before you eat it.  If you don’t care for hot sauce, I’d still encourage you to try this in a small quantity because the flavors are so good together with the grits and turnips.  If you like things hot, have at it!  This dish is hearty enough to be a main dish on its own, or serve it in a smaller portion as a side dish with pork chops, grilled or fried chicken, or for breakfast with scrambled or fried eggs.  It’s a good one, if I do say so myself!

Rhubarb Turnovers, photo from epicurious.com

Before I go any further, I just want to applaud all the members who are participating in our Facebook Group!!  If you haven’t joined the group yet, I’d encourage you to do so.  There has been some great dialogue this year as well as a lot of great recipes, pictures, suggestions, idea sharing, etc.  I’ve really been enjoying seeing what you’re making and have picked up some new recipe ideas as well. 

This recipe for Rhubarb Turnovers is a recipe that was shared in the group and was made by two different people who both verify they are delicious!  If you prefer to use your rhubarb in something that is not pie or pie-like, check out this post on Naturally Ella that includes links to non-pie recipes such as Curried Lentils and Rhubarb Chutney.  She recommends serving these lentils with fresh cilantro, which you happen to have in this week’s box!

Creamy Green Garlic & Feta Dressing

Speaking of cilantro, this recipe for Cilantro Lime Rice popped into my inbox earlier this week, and it looks simple and delicious!  The author, Jeanine, recommends serving it as a side dish with Asian or Mexican food OR turn it into a Burrito Bowl.  I don’t have a specific recipe for this concept, so you’ll have to be creative and just build your own.  My suggestions would be to use this rice as the base of the bowl and then add some black beans, thinly sliced radishes, some chopped romaine lettuce and top off the whole thing with a generous drizzle of this Creamy Green Garlic & Feta Dressing, a recipe we featured on our blog back in 2017.

What else can we do with radishes this week?  Have we exhausted all the options for how to enjoy radishes in the spring when they are abundant?  NO WAY!!  Consider turning this week’s radishes into Radish Dip.  You can try Martha Stewart’s version which includes sour cream and feta or you can try this Taste of Home version that is based on cream cheese.  Either one will make a delicious dip to serve with Romaine lettuce leaves or baby bok choi stems for dipping, or you can use it as a spread on toast, bagels, sandwiches, OR use it as a condiment to serve with hot scrambled eggs or possibly that burrito bowl concept we just talked about!

Potsticker Stir-Fry
Photo from NomNomPaleo.com

This is our second and likely final week for Hon Tsai Tai, an unique spring green with pretty little yellow flowers!  If you didn’t have a chance to make the Hon Tsai Tai and Shiitake Potstickers featured in our newsletter last week, consider adding these to this week’s menu.  The recipe is written as vegetarian, but you can add ground pork to the filling if you like.  If you don’t have time to make the potstickers or you’re looking for a gluten free or low carb alternative to the dumpling wrappers, try this recipe for Potsticker Stir-Fry.  Use the hon tsai tai in place of the napa cabbage.  This was a suggestion offered by a member in our Facebook Group—thanks!

This week we’re excited to include these pretty little baby bok choi. Bok choi can be used interchangeably with hon tsai tai, but it’s also delicious when simply steamed, stir-fried or eaten raw.   Here’s a quick recipe for 10-Minute Lemon Garlic Sauteed Bok Choi.  Serve this simple preparation alongside a grilled steak, piece of salmon or even a rotisserie chicken you pick up at the grocery store already cooked!  You’ll have dinner on the table super fast!

Bok Choi Salad with Sesame Almond Crunch

If you’re looking for a raw bok choi salad option, I can’t help but mention this recipe for Bok Choi Salad with Sesame Almond Crunch.  I’ve mentioned it before and I’m sure I’ll share it again—it’s so delicious!

Ok friends, we’re rolling into the home stretch with just a bunch of asparagus remaining.  What will we do with this lovely vegetable this week?  How about a Roasted Asparagus Grilled Cheese Sandwich!   The recipe doesn’t call for it, but I think this sandwich would be pretty tasty with a piece of prosciutto added to it.  Here’s another great recipe for Spring Tacos with Shrimp, Asparagus and Radish Leaf Pesto.  Did you really think I’d make it through the entire box and neglect to give you a recipe to utilize those radish tops?!

I think we made it to the bottom of the box.  I hope you are having fun cooking and eating through the box each week.  Cooking is supposed to be fun, so don’t forget to laugh a little and enjoy the ride.  Have a great week!

Vegetable Feature: Baby White Turnips

By Chef Andrea

Classy, pristine, delicate, mild, tender & sweet…these are just a few of the words we find ourselves using to describe baby white turnips, one of our favorite spring vegetables.  Baby white turnips are classified as a salad turnip and are also referred to as Tokyo or Hakurei turnips which are varietal names for turnips in this class.  Both the roots and the green tops are tender, mild and edible.  They may be eaten raw or lightly cooked.

This turnip variety thrives in the cool of spring and again later in the fall.  Compared to the common purple top turnip, or other storage turnips, salad turnips are much more mild and subtle in both flavor and texture.  The storage turnips we grow in the fall are meant for storage purposes and have a thicker skin compared to the thin skin of a salad turnip.  Baby white turnips also mature much faster than beets, carrots and fennel, etc which is why we value them as an important part of our spring menus until other root vegetables are ready for harvest.  To prolong the shelf life, separate the greens from the roots with a knife and store separately in plastic bags in your refrigerator.

To prepare the turnips for use, wash both the roots and greens well to remove any dirt.  Salad turnips have such a thin exterior layer, they do not need to be peeled.  They are delicious eaten raw in a salad, or just munch on them with dip or hummus.  You can also cook these turnips, but remember to keep the cooking time short and the preparation simple.  You can simply saute them in butter, stir-fry or roast them.  The greens may be added to raw salads, or lightly saute or wilt them in a little butter.  Two of our favorite baby white turnip recipes from past newsletters include White Turnip Salad with Miso Ginger Vinaigrette and Turnip Greens Pesto Pizza.  We hope you enjoy these tasty little gems!

Creamy Turnip Grits & Greens

Yield:  4 servings as a main dish or 6 servings as a side

1 bunch baby white turnips

1 Tbsp butter

¾ cup minced green garlic and/or green onions (lower portion)

¾ cup thinly sliced green garlic and/or green onion tops

1 cup grits

3-4 cups water

1 ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

¼ tsp ground black pepper, plus more to taste

¼ cup cream

½ cup grated Parmesan or cheddar cheese

5-6 oz bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces and cooked until crispy (optional)

Brown-Butter Hot Sauce Vinaigrette:

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp hot sauce

¼ tsp salt

1. First, cut turnips from the tops, wash thoroughly and cut into small dice.  Thoroughly wash the greens.  Shake off excess water and thinly slice them.  Set aside
2. Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Once the butter is melted, add the diced turnips.  Cook, stirring periodically, until turnips are tender and lightly browned.  Once browned, remove turnips from the pan with a spoon, leaving the extra butter in the pan.  Set turnips aside.
   

   
3. Add minced green garlic and/or onions to the pan.  If necessary, add a little more butter.  Satue over medium heat until fragrant and softened.  
4. Add 3 cups of water to the pan and stir in the grits along with salt and pepper.  Bring the grits to a gentle simmer and try to hold this temperature steady through the cooking.  Stir the grits frequently to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan and keep the heat gentle.  (Alternatively, you can cook the grits in a double boiler pan so you don’t have to worry about them sticking).  Gently simmer for 20-40 minutes.  When you first start cooking them, they’ll look grainy and separated.  As they cook they’ll start to soften and become thicker and creamy.  The cooking time will vary depending on how coarse the grits are, so you’ll have to observe and taste them to determine when they are done.  You’ll know they are done when they are soft, tender and do not taste starchy.  If they get too thick, you may need to add more water to thin them out.  You want them to be the consistency of moderately thick oatmeal.
   

   
5. When the grits are fully cooked, stir in ¼ cup of cream and the cheese.  Once fully incorporated, stir in the turnips as well as the greens.  Stir and continue to simmer for just a few more minutes to allow the greens to fully wilt down.  Once fully wilted, remove from heat and taste them one more time.  Add additional salt and black pepper as needed.  You can also adjust the consistency at this point if they are too thick. (just stir in a little warm water)
6. Just before serving, make the brown-butter hot sauce vinaigrette.  It’s best to have all the ingredients measured out in advance because this is a quick cooking process!  
7. In an 8-inch saute pan, melt the 4 Tbsp of butter.  Do not use a cast-iron or black bottomed skillet for this because you will not be able to see the butter browning.  Once the butter melts, it will foam and fizz and eventually start to brown a little on the bottom.  When you see this beginning to happen, make sure you swirl the pan around so that all the milk solids brown evenly.  Do not walk away!  Once the butter is nutty in color as well as aroma, carefully stir in the lemon juice, hot sauce, and salt.  Let it bubble up for about 15 seconds, then pull it off the heat and get ready to spoon it over the hot grits!
   

   
8. Serve the grits in a bowl garnished with the thinly sliced green garlic and/or onion tops, crumbled bacon (if using), and a drizzle of the brown-butter hot sauce vinaigrette.  Enjoy!

This recipe was written by Chef Andrea with inspiration and guidance from Chef Vivian Howard’s cookbook, Deep Run Roots.  The recipe for Brown-Butter Hot Sauce Vinaigrette is 100% credited to Chef Vivian!