an experiment in turnips

Much like Amy (see below), I'm not one who dabbles in the unknown when it comes to cooking. I tend to stick to what I know (not that much), and follow recipes to a tee when I feel like making something new. This way of using food has led me to a pretty standard and, admittedly, pretty boring Midwestern diet. Part of what I hope to gain from participation in the CSA is simply new food knowledge - an expansion of my food base on which to build over time.So this week, realizing that my roommate (who does most of the cooking at our apartment) would be out of town and thus out of reach for ideas and inspiration on how to use such rare (to me) items as turnips, I decided to try out Clare's recipe for serving turnips with their greens. The result was pretty delightful!


I've never cooked turnips before, but even I could tell this was going to be a fairly simple dish. I set the turnips in a steaming basket with a few red potatoes I had on hand, while at the same time cooking their greens (washed and stems trimmed down a bit) in boiling water. The greens were ready first (in about 8 minutes), and after following the recipe's advice to remove excess water, I tossed them in a little melted butter and arranged them on my plate. The turnips and potatoes only needed a couple more minutes, then they were tossed with the buttery mix as well. I laid the turnips on the greens and moved the potatoes to the side; I felt it was important to experience the turnips and greens without their flavor being tainted by the other roots. Clare suggested topping it all with a little salt, pepper, and lemon thyme. Here's where my lack of herb knowledge came back at me... we have thyme but not the lemon variety... and what about other herbs? What else would season this dish nicely? I guessed and grabbed a sprig or two of lemon verbena, rosemary, some chives, and plain old ordinary thyme from our herb garden. I have no idea if this was an appropriate combination, but it tasted pretty great to me! If anyone can offer some herb pointers, I'd really appreciate it. Otherwise I will just continue making my best guesses!

[This post submitted by Dena]