Tempting Turnips: Enjoying from Root to Stem

Whenever I make zucchini pancakes with the kids at Olivewood Gardens I always ask them to give me ideas for other vegetable pancakes they could make using the recipe."Carrots!," they'll shout. "Broccoli! Cauliflower! Sweet potato!"

No one ever shouted out turnips--and I never thought to suggest it. But the folks at Specialty Produce gave me a bag filled with beautiful baby gold, pink, and Japanese turnips last week.

And, it occurred to me that they are among the few vegetables that are edible from root to stem. So, not only could I make pancakes from the root, I could also saute the greens for a delicious side dish.

I'm going to assume that like me, you see turnips as one of those root vegetables that you pick up to add to a chicken soup stock, but otherwise ignore. It's been a big mistake for me. These baby turnips in particular are not only very pretty, with their bold colors, they're really delicious. Raw, they're sweet with just a hint of spiciness--kind of like radishes. Cooked, they're melt-in-your mouth sweet.

And, what I especially appreciate about them is that they're low in carbs. So, for dealing with diabetes, I can create dishes that I would otherwise use potatoes for and have something equally delicious but less problematic. So, mashed turnips instead of mashed potatoes. Scalloped turnips. Sauteed turnips. You get the idea. And, I can eat them raw, chopped into a salad. Can't do that with potatoes.

So, I'm a convert. I took a bunch of those gold baby turnips, trimmed and cleaned the greens, rendered the fat from half a slice of diced bacon and sauteed the greens in the fat with garlic and added the bacon pieces and sliced boiled turnips. They were delicious with a scoop of cooked millet.

Later in the week, I grated more turnips and made turnip pancakes--frying some in rendered duck fat and the rest in olive oil. I think I've come up with a competitive latke dish for next Chanukah. Crisp and sweet, they look so pretty from start--grated and then molded into pancakes--to finish.

Making them is very easy--and they're a great way to introduce your kids to a new veggie (and maybe even yourself). Be sure to use a cast iron skillet to get them extra crispy. They're also freezable. Reheat them straight from the freezer in a 350-degree oven until warmed through and crisp.

Baby Turnip Pancakes
(Printable recipe)
Makes about two dozen, three-inch pancakes

Ingredients
1 pound of baby turnips, trimmed but not peeled
6 large green onions, trimmed
3 cloves garlic
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup Panko or seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons fresh, chopped herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme, etc.)
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil or rendered duck fat for frying

1. Grate the turnips coarsely, using the large holes of a box grater or food processor grater. Put the grated turnips in a colander, set over a bowl, and let the liquid drain from the turnips.
2. Chop the green onions coarsely and add to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Add the garlic and pulse until the onions and garlic are minced.
3. Put all the vegetables in a large bowl and add the Panko, baking powder, herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir it all together to fully mix the ingredients.
4. Add the eggs and mix well. The batter should be moist but not runny.
5. Heat 1/4-inch of oil or duck fat in a hot pan. Place a tiny bit of the batter in the pan. If it begins to sizzle, the fat is hot enough for the batter. Use a large spoon and drop the batter into the pan, then flatten into a pancake. Don't crowd the pancakes by putting too many in at one time. Cook for several minutes on each side until the pancakes are golden brown. Put the pancakes on a plate with paper towels placed on top to drain the fat. Then serve (with applesauce, sour cream, or creme fraiche).

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Zucchini Pancakes: Making Veggies Fun

My friend and fellow Les Dames D'Escoffier chapter member Julie Darling of Just Call Us Catering seems to be everywhere these days when it comes to volunteering to feed people in San Diego. Her latest project is to teach kids how to cook straight from the garden. And, she didn't have to twist my arm to help. So, on Tuesday I'll be with her at the Olivewood Gardens at the International Community Foundation Center's property in National City.

I can't wait to see their garden, where right now they're harvesting lemon grass, nasturtiums, oregano, rutabagas, leeks, celery, zucchinis, cauliflower and many other fruits, vegetables, and herbs. We'll have about 60 elementary school kids from the neighborhood there to learn about planting in the garden, maintaining it, and nutrition. I'll be doing a cooking class for them. What am I making? Well, with all that zucchini, why not zucchini pancakes?

This is a great way to turn a vegetable many kids and even adults may not like into something they'll enjoy. In fact, it's why I make them. Zucchini's fine, but I don't love the texture when I find it sauteed or in ratatouille. So, early on I started making these pancakes. And, come the end of summer when you can't seem to find enough ways to use them up from your garden, this recipe comes in handy. In fact, you can use this recipe for many other vegetables and the kids can help make it.

Zucchini Pancakes

Ingredients

1 pound of zucchinis

1 large yellow onion

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup of Panko or seasoned bread crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil or olive oil for frying

Directions

1.     Cut off the ends of the zucchinis and grate each one coarsely, using the big holes of a grater or your food processor's grating blade. Put the grated zucchini in a colander and the colander into a bowl and let the liquid drain from the zucchini.

2.     
       Cut the onions in half lengthwise and remove the skin from the onion. Then grate each onion coarsely, using the big holes of a grater. Add the grated onion to the zucchini in the colander to drain. Feel free to gently but firmly squeeze the grated vegetables to get out as much liquid as possible.

3.     Put the vegetables in a large bowl and add the Panko, baking powder, the oregano, the garlic (if you’re using it), and the salt and pepper. Stir it all together to fully mix ingredients.

4.     Add the eggs and mix well. The mixture should be moist but not runny.

5.     Heat ¼ inch of oil in a hot pan. Place a tiny bit of the mixture in the pan. If it begins to sizzle, the oil is ready for the mixture. Drop a large spoonful of the zucchini mix into the pan and flatten into a pancake. Don’t crowd the pancakes by putting too many in at one time. 

      Cook them for several minutes on each side until the pancakes are golden brown. Put the pancakes on a plate with paper towels placed on top to drain. Then serve with applesauce, creme fraiche, or sour cream.

 

Makes about two dozen, three-inch pancakes.

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