Turnips with Spicy Honey Glaze

Turnips. I can't say that I'm in love with them, but I can say I have come to at least kind of like them. I do have a go-to recipe where I saute them with walnuts and bacon that never fails to turn them into something special. This is not that recipe.

The other night I just didn't feel like doing the same old thing. Why not try something different? Maybe it would be even better than my go-to recipe and I'd appreciate the turnip even more. I found an interesting recipe via my Epicurious iPhone app for Roasted Parsnips, Turnips, and Rutabagas with Ancho-Spiced Honey Glaze. I didn't quite have all the ingredients on hand, but figured I could adapt it.

Turnips with Spicy Honey Glaze

(adapted from Bon Appétit, October 2010 via Epicurious iPhone app)

Ingredients

• 4 turnips, trimmed, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tablespoon melted butter
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1/2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground hot pepper (I used dried Chinese 5 color pepper)
• Salt, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl whisk together melted butter, honey, lemon juice, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, hot pepper and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl toss the turnip wedges with the olive oil and a pinch of salt.
4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the turnip wedges so none of the pieces are overlapping.
5. Roast for about 40-45 minutes, until the turnips are soft and lightly browned in spots.
6. Pour the glaze over the cooked turnips, gently toss to coat and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes more or until the glaze is absorbed.

While this adapted recipe worked out fairly well, I'm still not in love turnips. I think adding other root veggies like they did in the original recipe might be a key component to success. Maybe I'll give it another go.

What do you make with turnips?

Slow Cooked Pork Chops

Since our October visit to upstate NY we've had a bottle of Fly Creek Apple-Raspberry Hard Cider sitting in our basement fridge.

Rather than just drink it I had always planned to cook with it, preferably in some kind of slow cooked pork dish. I just needed the right occasion.

Well, as we watched the snow fall this past Saturday I knew it was time. I don't know what it is about snowy days but they just are made for slow-cooked goodness.

At Christmas we'd ordered some pork from a family friend's farm (Silver Lake Farm) in New Hampshire. These pigs run around in the woods so we're talking about some lean meat here. It seemed perfect to use in the slow cooker.

So, I had the meat and I had the hard cider. But, what else to add to the pot? I figured a few classic pork companions would do the trick: an onion and a couple of sweet potatoes.

And what goes better with pork than apples? Thus, with minimal effort dinner would be ready by 7pm. Now that's a nice snowy day situation.

Photos by Renato Ghio

Slow Cooked Pork Chops

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 pork chops
• 4 apples, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 cup hard cider
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cut the onion in half and then slice into thin half moons. Place the onions in the slow cooker insert.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in half length-wise and slice into thin half moons. Place the sweet potato slices on top of the onions in the slow cooker insert.
3. Lay the pork chops on top of the vegetables.
4. Core and thinly slice the apples. Place the apple slices on top of the chops.
5. Season with dried thyme, salt and black pepper.
6. Pour the hard apple cider over the top.
7. Put on the lid and cook on low for 8 hours.
8. Serve each chop on a bed of apples and vegetables. Be sure to spoon some of cooking liquid over the top too.

What's been cooking in your slow cooker?

Savory Glazed Chicken Thighs

No, I don't make my own jams and jellies. I'm what they call canning-a-phobic. I know, it's really not that scary or complicated. Maybe it's a fear I should attempt to conquer this year. For now, I'll just stick to relying on the local artisans for amazing sweet and savory jams and jellies.

The savory product line from Winding Drive is my latest discovery. Use it on a crostini, use it savory crepes, and yes, use it to glaze some organic, pastured chicken parts!

Glazed Chicken Thighs

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the glaze:

• 3 heaping Tablespoons Winding Drive Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onion
• Zest and juice from a lemon

For the chicken:

• 4 bone-in chicken thighs
• Zest from half a lemon
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Make the glaze. Whisk together the jam, lemon juice and zest. Set aside.
3. Place the chicken thighs on a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Drizzle on the olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Turn each thigh a couple of times to coat it thoroughly.
5. Roast for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken from the oven and brush some glaze onto the tops of the thighs. Be sure to reserve some glaze for later.
7. Put the chicken back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
8. Then, take the chicken out of the oven and brush on the last of the glaze.
9. Let the meat rest for about five minutes before serving. Enjoy!

I am so thankful there are local artisans making delectable canned/preserved foods. I am hooked on the quality and rich flavor of Winding Drive. In fact, I have some of their Habanero Gold jelly sitting in my pantry at the moment. I'm dying to try it. I might just have to smear it on crostini as a pre-dinner snack tonight!

What are some of your favorite jam/jelly flavors for using in savory dishes?

Pop, Pop, Pop

Last year I saw that Maple Bank Farm had popping corn (still on the cob) and I just had to give it a try. I could have done it the old fashioned way on the stove top, but I always burn it. Thus, I opted for the brown paper bag and microwave method. It worked fairly well. I'd definitely do it again.

Well, this year I stocked up on Maple Bank's popping corn. I painstakingly removed all the kernels from the many cobs and now I just needed to remember to find some appropriately sized paper bags.

Popping my own popcorn (sans pre-packaged microwave package) brought back childhood memories of movie night with my folks. I loved the 1970's yellow air-popper we used back then. It wasn't very pretty, and sure it was loud, but it made the best popcorn. If only I had one of those. Then, right at Christmas time, I saw the cutest air-popping popcorn maker from good ol' JCPenney. Thankfully, Santa came through. We gave it a test run last night and it's great!

It's crazy how much popcorn you get from what seems like such a small amount of kernels.  I see a lot of popcorn in our future!

Not only do we love popcorn, but we love to doctor it up. This time we kept it simple: 3 tablespoons melted butter, salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder.

What's your favorite way to flavor popcorn?

Sprouted Bean and Farro Soup

I think enjoying a bowl of hot soup by the fire is the perfect way to spend a chilly January evening. Even as a last minute idea, all I have to do is turn to my pantry.

I always try to stay stocked up on various types of beans and whole grains for spur of the moment dinner ideas. In this case, I dove in to the pantry and found Sprouted Bean Trio by truRoots and Pearled Farro by Earthly Choice. Ta-da, without too much effort, a soup was born.

Sprouted Bean and Farro Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1/4 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 Tablespoon minced Chinese five color pepper (frozen)*
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup pearled farro
• 1 cup sprouted bean trio
• 6 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 5 quart pot.
2. Saute the diced onion, celery and carrot until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the minced garlic clove and saute until fragrant.
4. Pour in chicken stock.
5. Add the Chinese five color pepper, sprouted beans and pearled farro.
6. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
7. After 15 minutes test to ensure the farro is fully cooked but not mushy.
8. Depending on how liquid-y or hearty you like your soup at this point you can serve it up or let is simmer uncovered until it reaches your desired consistency. I like soups thick so I simmered for an extra 5-10 minutes.

Serving Idea

• Serve with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some grated cheese.

* NOTE: The Chinese five color pepper came from my backyard garden. At the end of the summer I pre-minced the last load of peppers and froze them in 1 Tablespoon servings. This way I just pull one serving out of the freezer and directly drop it into soups. No thaw necessary.

A Look Back at 2011

I always find it interesting to see which posts on this little blog of mine get the most attention. You just never know what things will strike people's fancy.

So, which posts made the cut?

 ... Drum roll please ...

Thumbs Up

Lemon Zucchini Cornmeal Bites
Farmers Market Coming to Danbury
Vegetable Carpaccio
Drunken Pot Roast
Grazin' Diner

Some of those were among my favorite to write.

Thumbs Down

Future of Food: British Inspiration
From The Garden Plot: Plans Coming Together
And ... We're Off!
Lovefre.sh
Earth Day 2011: Post University

I'm bummed two of my gardening posts were among the least viewed but I'll use it as a learning experience to make them better next year.

In case you are wondering, these lists are based on the number of total page views. It's not all that scientific, but then again science and math were never my strong point.

Well, thats 2011 in a nutshell. Thanks so much for reading. I really do appreciate it.

Have a very happy holiday! See you in 2012.

From Garden To Gift

This weekend I was putting together a couple of gift baskets for friends, but it just felt like something was missing. I decided to surf the Internet for some last minute inspiration. That's when I came across an old post on Kalyns Kitchen for Rosemary Salt. That was it! I needed do some fun seasoning mixes. Goodness knows I have plenty of  dried homegrown herbs.

Hot Rosemary Salt

adapted from Kalyns Kitchen

• 5 Tablespoons sea salt
• 3 Tablespoons dried rosemary
• 1 dried Chinese Five Color pepper, ground

In a small bowl I added the sea salt. Then I measured out the dried rosemary and crushed it in my palms before adding to the bowl. Finally, I ground the pepper in a mini-food processor and added it the bowl.

I gently tossed all the ingredients together and very careful poured it into a small glass jar.

Poultry Seasoning

• 1 heaping Tablespoon each dried sage, thyme and oregano
• 1 dried Chinese Five Color pepper, ground
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon seas salt

In a small bowl I added the salt and black pepper. I ground the Chinese Five Color pepper in a mini-food processor and added it to the bowl. Then I added all the dried herbs to the mini-food processor and gave them a quick pulse. I just wanted to break them down a little, not pulverize them into dust. I added the pulsed dried herbs to the bowl and gently mixed everything together. Very carefully I poured the seasoning mix into a small glass jar.

They were the perfect savory addition to a basket of jams and other local food treats.