Crispy Turnips

There’s so much I love about these turnips, and best of all, they can be pre-cooked the day before…perfect for freeing up your oven for that Thanksgiving turkey. Peel and cube your turnips and toss with enough olive oil to lightly coat. Salt, and roast in a 350 oven until barely fork tender. If you’re preparing the day before, cool, and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

About twenty minutes before serving, heat some turkey fat in a heavy pan over medium high heat and stir in the cubed turnips. Toss every few minutes or so, you don’t want them to burn, but you want them crispy on as many sides as possible. When you’re ready to serve, spoon them into a bowl and toss with some thyme, sage, or parsley, and salt to taste.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cauliflower with Mint, lemon, and Chili

When thinking about Thanksgiving dinner, there are certain things you can’t mess with, like the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. But when it comes to the vegetables, I say, the heck with tradition….is creamed spinach really necessary?

This cauliflower dish is not only refreshingly cleansing, but it doesn’t take up any space in the oven. And you can prep it the day before by breaking the cauliflower up into small florettes, chopping the mint, squeezing the lemon juice, and storing them separately in Tupperware in the fridge.

Ten minutes before you’re going to sit down, steam the cauliflower until fork tender. Immediately drain, then toss in a large bowl with some extra virgin olive, lemon juice, chopped mint, and some red pepper flakes. Salt to taste.

Potato Celeriac Soup

November! It’s a tough month to embrace, but there isn’t a better time for potatoes, celeriac, apples, or soup. The quantities aren’t critical, but more or less equal quantities of potatoes and celeriac are a safe bet. Peel and cube the celeriac, then cube the potatoes, no need to peel them.

Sauté some chopped onion, shallots, or leeks in a large soup pot for five minutes. Add the celeriac and potatoes along with a cut up unpeeled apple, and a few chopped garlic cloves. Stir together, then after a couple of minutes add enough chicken or vegetable stock to cover the vegetables by at least an inch.

Bring to a boil then simmer for forty five minutes to an hour, or until the celeriac is very tender. Once cool enough puree with a stick blender, or in batches in a food processor, until smooth. Return to the pot, reheat, then salt and pepper to taste.

If you’re pondering your Thanksgiving menu, this one should be in the running.