Easy Roasted Root Vegetables

I spent the past few weeks in Southern California staying with my parents.  I always cook a double batch of whatever I am making when I visit so they have dinners for the following couple of weeks.  I love to give my mom a break from meal prep. One night I made a huge batch of roasted root vegetables.  Easy to prepare, and very versatile, we ate them for a few days..as a side dish, piled on top of greens as a hearty salad, pan fried and topped with poached eggs...we even stirred them into hot pasta topped with parmigiano-reggiano for an easy pasta.

This dish can be made with whatever root vegetables you like or are in season.  Add carrots, beets, yams, potatoes, onion...whatever you want. I am back home now and having a dinner party this weekend. The menu?  Roasted pork tenderloin with balsamic glaze, roasted root vegetables, sauteed broccolini with garlic & chiles, salad and dessert.  Oh, and wine, lots of wine...Wanna come?

Easy Roasted Root Vegetables
2 turnips, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch dice
2 rutabagas, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch dice
1 large sweet potato, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch dice
1 fennel bulb (and stalk if included) bulb thinly sliced, stalk and fronds chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Add root vegetables, including turnips to pan. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over and, using your hands, ensure vegetables are thoroughly coated. Sprinkle salt and pepper over mixture and roast in preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

Remove from oven, sprinkle garlic, thyme and remaining olive oil over vegetables and stir to combine. Return to oven and roast another 15-20 minutes or until beginning to caramelize with golden brown spots on sides. Vegetables should be very soft.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

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Additional turnip recipes you may enjoy:

• pan fried turnips in extra virgin olive oil
• mashed turnips with caramelized onions and balsamic
• roasted root vegetable casserole

 

It is "turnips" week at Food Network's Fall fest. Check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends.  Have a favorite turnips recipe of your own? Please share in the comments section of this post:
Feed Me Phoebe: Mashed Turnips with Miso Butter
The Lemon Bowl: Baked Turnip Chips
Purple Cook: Turnip and Tomato Curry, Recipe Reviewed
Domesticate Me: Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Easy Roasted Root Vegetables
Red or Green: Roasted Turnip and Parsnip Soup with Toasted Walnuts
Dishing: Roasted Turnips with Parmesan
Taste With The Eyes: Quinoa Corn Timbale, Turnip Confit, Quail Egg and Fried Sage with a Demi-Glace
The Sensitive Epicure: Mashed Turnips with Celery Root
Devour: 4 Ways to Cook Turnips
In Jennie's Kitchen: Turnip Soup
Cooking With Elise: Turnip Farmers Tell All
FN Dish: Turnip Recipes Revisited

best,
diane

napa farmhouse 1885
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mashed turnips with caramelized onions and balsamic

i really appreciate food network's fall fest this week as we focus on turnips!  i confess that i do not prepare turnips, parsnips or rutabagas very often and when i do i usually roast or mash them.  i like them...i just forget about them most of the time.  so i can't wait to read all the creative recipes from my wonderful and talented fellow bloggers.



i used purple topped turnips for this dish  (photo courtesy raw diet.com)

i am sharing a different take on mashed turnips for my contribution.  i wanted to sweeten them up and add a bit more complexity to the dish so i experimented by caramelizing onions in a balsamic vinegar reduction sauce and then added the combination to the mashed turnips.  a tiny bit of maple syrup and extra virgin olive oil added more sweetness and body.  i then finished it off with a drizzle of method tradizionale aged balsamic...(the good stuff!)  you know what?  i really, really like the finished result. perfect with roasted meats or poultry and a wonderful salad.  i made roasted chicken, stir-fried broccolini, the turnips and a green salad with pear, cranberries and toasted walnuts for dinner. perfect for fall or winter.   give the turnips a try and please let me know what you think. 
happy turnips week everyone!

mashed turnips with caramelized onions and balsamic
2 lbs turnips
1/2 white onion, diced
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp italian parsley, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
aged balsamic vinegar (method tradizionale...the good stuff!) for drizzling (optional)

peel the turnips and cut into 1-inch pieces. place them in a large saucepan with water to cover and a large pinch of salt. bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until easily pierced by a knife, about 35 minutes. drain.

while turnips are cooking, sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until deep golden brown. (about 15 minutes).  add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until vinegar begins to thicken.  add the maple syrup and a pinch each salt and pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes.  remove from heat.

add the drained turnips to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until smooth. (alternatively, you could use the pulse motion on a food processor).  add the onion mixture and half the parsley.  stir to combine.  add additional olive oil (up to 1/4 cup) if the mixture appears dry.  taste and add additional salt and/or pepper if desired.  mound on a serving platter and drizzle extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar over top.  sprinkle remaining parsley over turnips and serve immediately.

other turnips recipes you may enjoy:
pan fried turnips in extra virgin olive oil
roasted root vegetable casserole
southern greens, napa farmhouse style

check out the delicious sounding turnips recipes from the all of the other participating bloggers:

Jeanette's Healthy Living: Chinese Turnip Cake
Cooking With Elise: Balsamic Roasted Turnips and Thyme
Virtually Homemade: Roasted Vegetable Soup With Chimichurri

Feed Me Phoebe: Turnip Hash With Basil Vinaigrette
Thursday Night Dinner: Honey Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables
Made By Michelle: Roasted Turnips and Carrots
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Turnips
FN Dish: Fall Into Turnips

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a recipe for southern greens...napa farmhouse style

i have become addicted to greens .  like eating them every day addicted...either in green smoothies for breakfast, or huge salads for lunch, or as a side dish at dinner sautéed, stir fried, raw, added to pasta sauce, you name it, i probably like it.  i experimented by roasting kale until crisp and seasoned with good grey salt. (delicious).  so it was not a stretch to make greens the main course for dinner last week.

i had read a magazine article talking about a southern greens recipe....full of fatback and ham and bacon fat...probably delicious...but not the healthy dish i was looking for so i created my own version.  this one emphasizes the taste of the greens and is flavored with seasonings, sparkling apple cider for sweetness, honey mustard and balsamic vinegar to balance out the salt/sweet and is made main-dish worthy by the addition of either vegetarian "ground beef" or ground turkey. southern greens are usually a mixture of turnip greens, beet greens, collard, mustard and kale.  you can use whatever you like...just one type or a blend of your favorites.

i serve these greens with a side of corn bread and call it dinner. for non-vegetarians, i sometimes quickly sauté fresh shrimp in garlic and red pepper flakes (i use our aglio, olio, peperoncino) and pile on top of the greens.

i told my good friend brooke about these greens.  she is originally from arkansas and the look on her face was priceless when i told her it was a vegetarian version..."no fat back?"  she cried.  we agreed that the "real version" was delicious as a once-in a-while treat.  the farmhouse recipe can be enjoyed much more often.  aah, the spirit of compromise.  enjoy the greens everyone!

southern greens, napa farmhouse style
1 lb vegetarian ground ground (i like yves brand) or ground turkey
1/2 white onion, chopped in large pieces
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup sparking apple cider
1 tbsp honey mustard
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
14 oz southern greens (mix of collard, kale, mustard and turnip, whatever you like) torn into large pieces, tough center ribs discarded

large pinch aglio olio peperoncinio, or red pepper flakes
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

if using ground turkey, brown meat in large skillet, drain and place on plate for use later. wipe down skillet with a paper towel and add olive oil.  heat over medium heat until oil shimmers, add onion.  sauté until translucent. add the veggie ground round (or reserved turkey if using), the broth, apple cider, mustard and balsamic vinegar.   stir to combine.

add 2 large handfuls of the greens to the skillet.  stir until wilted.  when you have room in the pan, add more greens and, again, stir until wilted.  continue this process until all greens have been added to the pan.  add the aglio or red pepper flakes and a large pinch each of the salt and pepper.  stir.  cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes.  taste and adjust seasonings.  use a slotted spoon to spoon onto serving plates.  serve immediately.

**note...be sure to keep the reserved juices...called "pot likker" in the south.  this delicious liquid contains a number of essential nutrients.  i always plan to make a big pot of beans the day after i make these greens and use the pot likker as part of the liquid needed. **

ok, southern green fans.  that is my recipe.  give it a try and let me know what you think.  and feel free to post your favorite "fat back, salt pork, ham hock, bacon" version in the comments section.  i don't think you can ever have too many recipes for southern greens...do you?

best,
diane

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turnips...really?

courtesy rawdiet.com

how often do you eat turnips?  be honest.  turnips are just not a vegetable most people think about.  or talk about.  or plan menus around.  so when food network selected them to be featured this week on food fest i was less than thrilled.  i mean i like them (i really do).  but how many ways can you prepare them?  mashed?  check.  roasted? check.   in soups and stews? check.  steamed and then baked in a casserole?  raw in a salad?  all delicious....but, frankly, been there done that...many, many times.  then i realized the beauty of fall fest.  i am not just a contributer.  i am a fan and i get to try all the wonderful, creative recipes my fellow bloggers will share. 

good thing because turnips are a healthily addition to our diet.  according to rawdiet.com:
"The Turnip holds a great number of nutritional benefits. It is highly rich in calcium, magnesium, folic acid and phosphor and thus essential for a healthy body. Turnips have low calories and no fat. A cup of turnips contain 36 calories. Thus regular consumption does not affect the physique. Turnips have high level of vitamin C and thus protect the body against free radicals. The anti-oxidant properties of turnips help in removing harsh oxidation reactions."  cont. on the raw diet website 

last year, i shared my recipe for pan fried turnips in olive oil served with italian sausage and padrone peppers...so very good.  today, i am going with roasted root vegetable casserole, a mix of sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and turnips; roasted and then topped with a garlicky bread crumb topping.  the vegetables are roasted until caramelized making them very sweet. the topping adds crunch and a big garlic punch.  perfect with roasts, chicken, the thanksgiving turkey.  i sometimes add a couple of poached eggs and serve for brunch.  i love this dish! try both of these recipes and those of my fellow bloggers...they just might change your opinion of turnips.

roasted root vegetable casserole
(as always, use local organic/sustainably grown ingredients if you can...the dish will taste better and be better for you)
4 carrots
3 sweet potatoes
4 turnips
4 parsnips
1/2 red onion
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
aged balsamic vinegar
freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs from french or sourdough bread
2 cloves garlic, minced

preheat oven to 400 degrees.  chop each vegetable into cubes approx 2 inches each and add to a rimmed baking sheet.  drizzle with olive oil (about 3 tbsp).  using your hands, roll the vegetables in the oil until each piece is coated.  sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  roast in oven 15 minutes.  remove from oven, stir and place back in oven for an additional 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender and caramelized. reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.

pour vegetables and the olive oil from the pan into a casserole dish.  drizzle 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar over top of vegetables. sprinkle prepared bread crumbs (see recipe below) over vegetables.  place casserole in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until hot.  serve immediately.

garlicky bread crumbs
add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat.  add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.  add the bread crumbs and an additional tbsp olive oil.  stir until crumbs are coated with the oil.  sauté mixture, stirring frequently, until golden brown.  remove from heat. 

now it is your turn to participate in fall fest. simply leave your turnips tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below, and then go visit food network and do the same same. join the conversation on twitter at #cookingwith and be sure to check out these delicious sounding recipes from the other participating bloggers:
The Sensitive Epicure: Roasted Turnips With Olive Oil and Rosemary
Virtually Homemade: Turnip Gratin With Parmesan and Nutmeg
And Love It Too: Turnip Pancakes
Purple Cook: Vegetable Biryani With Turnips
Glory Foods: Turnip Greens With Potatoes and Mushrooms
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Creamed Turnips With Their Greens
FN Dish: Simply Roasted Turnips

best,
diane

diane padoven
founder/president
napa farmhouse 1885
"live a green life of style™ "

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" turnips again??" a recipe for pan fried turnips in olive oil

so i have been telling you about my weekly csa boxes from hudson ranch here in napa...every thursday i pop over to oxbow produce to get my weekly fix. it feels a bit like christmas morning when i get home and unpack the box. i sort, wash and store the fruit and vegetables, all the while planning the menus for the upcoming week. when i mention that i belong to a csa, i find about half the time people know exactly what i am talking about...the other half i am greeted with a questioning stare. i also have received a number of emails from regular readers inquiring about this concept. the short answer is a csa (community supported agriculture) is a partnership between a farmer and a limited number of "shareholders". you purchase a "share" which entitles you to a regular supply of produce from the farm. my csa includes a weekly box chock full of fruit, vegetables and sometimes herbs. fresh eggs, chickens, guinea hens, wine and olive oil can be added if you wish. you know the food is local, is grown organically or sustainably and is as fresh as possible...picked the morning of delivery in my case. (csa produce boxes photo courtesy of hudson ranch)

the local harvest website includes a much more detailed explanation including benefits to the farmer, to the shareholders and to the earth...as well as an interactive program enabling you to find a local csa in your area...


one thing a csa does is really teach you about eating local and in-season food. my csa provides enough produce to last for the entire week....and you get the same items as long as they are in season. there is always a bit of diversity...and i find it really cool to watch the progress throughout the season. the first week we got carrots they were tiny...about the size of my baby finger...each week they were a bit bigger...last week's box contained carrots 8 or 9 inches in length. i feel about as close to the growing process as possible without literally growing it myself. i find that just when i am beginning to get a bit tired of a particular item the season is over and something new appears.
the only possible exception is turnips....turnips have been in the boxes for the first two months. it was a long, cold and very wet spring this year...and summer produce has been late...but the turnips thrived...so...turnips. i have made turnips every way imaginable...roasted them a thousand times (just a slight exaggeration) with olive oil and sea salt... yum! i have mashed them with yukon gold potatoes, steamed them, pureed them, used in soups, stews and pasta dishes. last week i was fresh out of ideas....and thought i could not handle one more turnip. i needed something new....and decided to try frying them. not french-frying...but pan-frying in extra virgin olive oil...and serving with italian sausage and pimientos de padrón (a small green pepper you sauté in extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt). you know what? the turnips were delicious...as was the entire meal...and i added one more preparation method to my recipe file. this week we picked up our box and...guess what? no turnips.

i think this is nature's way of ensuring we really eat seasonally...just when we begin to tire of an item it is gone...new items appear....and by the time we begin to crave an item it is back in season. of course for me the only exception is tomatoes...don't get me started on my passion for tomatoes!

pan fried turnips in e.v.o.o.
extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs turnips, sliced into medallions about 1/2 thick
1 medium onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons italian parsley, torn

bring a large pot of water to boil. salt water like you would for pasta. add turnips and cook until tender when pierced with a fork. pour into colander, drain well and pat dry. add 1/4 cup olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. when oil begins to shimmer add the onion slices and chopped garlic and sauté until onions are translucent. add the prepared turnips, a pinch of sea salt and cracked pepper to taste. cook the turnips until well browned on one side. flip the turnips and cook until the other side is well browned. remove from heat and sprinkle with the parsley and additional sea salt. serve hot

best, and happy cooking!
diane

diane padoven
founder/president
napa farmhouse 1885™
"live a green life of style™ "
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