Monday’s Menu: Turnips

It’s baaaack: “Monday’s Menu.”

After a week of sicky-sickness, I am feeling much better this morning. So much better, that I’m re-introducing “Monday’s Menu” for today! I know, you WERE excited until you saw that it was turnips. I’m not gonna lie, I haven’t used these all that much. But that’s what’s on the menu this week cause that’s what I got in my farm share. Here’s to an experiment.

What I love about this recipe is the flavors involved. Whenever I try a new vegetable, I always like to find a recipe that has familiar flavors – ones that I already know I love. Mediterranean is my style, for sure. And to spice it up a little, and make the recipe simpler, too, I am using kalamata olives (always a hit at our house) and canned tomatoes instead of going through the hassle of peeling and chopping fresh ones. You’ll also notice the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of white wine…now what in the world am I going to do with the rest of the opened bottle…?

Here’s the recipe:

Mediterranean Chicken with Turnips
[from “The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Vegetables”]
2 Tbs sunflower oil
8 chicken thighs or 4 chicken pieces
4 small turnips (I would substitute kohlrabi for some of the turnip if you don’t have enough)
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup white wine
1 tsp paprika
good pinch of cayenne pepper
20 black olives, pitted
½ lemon, cut into wedges
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley, to garnish
couscous, to serve

(1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Heat 1 Tbs of the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken pieces until lightly browned.  Peel the turnips and cut into julienne strips.  (2.) Transfer the chicken to a large casserole.  Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden brown, stirring occasionally.  (3.) Add the turnip and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, tomato juice, stock, wine, paprika, cayenne and seasoning.  Bring to a boil.  Pour over the chicken. Stir in the olives and lemon.  (4.)  Cover tightly and cook in the oven for 1-1 ¼ hours until the chicken is tender.  (5.) Garnish with fresh parsley and serve on a bed of couscous.

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I don’t think this recipe will use my entire bunch of turnips, so I vaguely remember that my mom sometimes cooks carrots and turnips together, drains the water, mashes them with butter and serves (is that right, mom?). The sweetness of the carrots and the creaminess of the butter make this a perfect side dish for any meal!

Well, lookie there – a whole post about turnips. Did you make it through? Are you planning to try this recipe? I’m making it tonight – here’s hopin’! And like I always say, if it doesn’t work out, we can always order take-out.

What’s on your menu this week? Write a post about it and link back here!

…Stay tuned later this week for an exciting announcement about my blog and what’s to come!…