There are all sorts of things I haven't blogged about, and my faithful reader (there is surely
one of you left, isn't there?) is probably more interested in those things too. However I've got some great pictures of my recent sunchoke haul and the roasted sunchoke, turnip, and fennel dish I made tonight so root vegetables are what you are going to get. And a recipe of course!
As a refresher,
sunchokes or Jerusalem artichokes or topinambours are a root vegetable related to sunflowers. They can grow anywhere from Maine to Texas and they are native to North America, cultivated here long before Columbus. Lyrica shared
this recipe on Facebook and funny enough I had turnips from the CSA (
Orchard Country Produce) and a fennel bulb from Elizabeth! So I picked some rosemary from the garden and set to work.
Here is the ridiculous sunchoke haul! I washed two gallons for myself and I've been busily giving the rest away to Kristie, Beth, Helen, Elizabeth and Agnese. I still have more for Brent and Anne and Natalie.
So after scrubbing and chopping, you get tidy diced roots.
Then roast them in the oven.
And plate on a bed of cooked kale, topping the dish with pine nuts and a balsamic reduction butter sauce with lemon zest. Did I mention the
balsamic reduction butter sauce with lemon zest? Yes it is as amazing as it sounds.
Here's the recipe for your reference and mine in the future. It's
adapted from Blue Apron, I didn't have the chicken or the saba.
Oven-roasted Turnips and Topinambours
8 oz sunchokes (but topinambour is a euphonious name with turnip)
10 oz turnips
1 fennel bulb
1 lemon
1 red onion
2 big sprigs rosemary
2 T olive oil
4 T butter
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
Pine nuts for garnish
Put a half sheet pan in the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees F. This preheats your pan too.
Peel the turnips and cut into 1.5 cm (or so) dice. Scrub the sunchokes (no need to peel) and cut them into the same size dice as the turnips. Scrub the fennel bulb, cut off the fronds and stalks (save them to use like celery in a future stew). Cut the fennel bulb into 2 cm dice. Slice the red onion into thin vertical strips (onions are sturdier sliced vertically and fall apart sliced horizontally). Mince the rosemary leaves, you should have at least a tablespoon minced. Toss the root veggies with olive oil and rosemary in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Handling the hot sheet pan with hotpads, spread the veggies in an even layer and return to the oven. Roast 30 minutes or until everything is tender and the onions are getting crispy, shaking or stiring once or twice.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the lemon juice over the hot vegetables. Let them cool on the roasting pan.
While veggies are roasting, reduce balsamic vinegar on medium-low heat until it gets syrupy. Zest and juice the lemon, use the juice above. Cook the zest with 1 T butter in a small frying pan until it just begins to brown. Stir browned butter and lemon zest into the balsamic reduction. Continue cooking if it is too runny. With low (or no) heat, stir in the remaining 3 T butter to make a pan sauce. Add salt and a little honey to taste if it is too sour.
Drizzle the sauce over the roasted vegetables just before serving. Garnish with pine nuts or pepitas or anything you feel like. Try it on kale or other greens. Or as a side dish with roast animal. Then stick a spoon in the
balsamic reduction butter sauce with lemon zest and consider what else you might put it on. I'm considering vanilla ice cream. And cheese. And fingers.
