Trying something new

Recently, I haven’t had as much time to spend in the kitchen as usual and I certainly haven’t been writing as much as I used to.  But after spending several days working on dinners that could be cooked as quickly as possible, I really felt the need to try something new and that’ what we’ll be talking about today.  Now new can mean several things – new ingredients, new techniques, new seasonings, or new combinations of all that.  Over a couple of days, I did a little bit of everything.

The dish on the left was adapted from Alana Chernila’s Eating from the Ground Up.  When I first read her book, this recipe caught my eye but I’d never seen turnips that looked like this.  The picture she shares really looks like white radishes and the first time I tried the recipe with white radishes and it was pretty good but nothing special.  A week ago, though, when I visited the Headhouse Square Farmer’s Market, one of the stalls had several bunches of the turnips.

They are delicious.  I cooked the turnips the way that Chernila suggested (roasted after being covered with olive oil and salt), but I improvised a little by sautéing the greens in olive oil.  The turnips were delicious – sweet with a little bite, a bit of crunch from the caramelization but soft and smooth on the inside.  The greens added bitterness, which was a plus.  I think any time I see hakurei turnips, I’ll buy some they are that good.

A couple of nights later, I had a chance to go a little wild.  I had some vegetables waiting for me in the fridge, I picked up a piece of cod on the way home from work, and I had an itch that needed scratching.

Let’s start with the broccolini.  There is a technique I learned from Sally Schneider who is one of my favorite cookbook authors. Using a sauté pan with a lid, she suggests steaming the vegetable in about 1/3 cup of water.  When the water is gone, then tilt the pan and add some olive oil, let it get hot, and then add a little crushed garlic until the oil gets flavored (30 seconds or so).  Sauté the vegetable in garlic oil and serve. I’ve done this with broccoli and asparagus a couple of times, but never with broccolini.  It worked perfectly and a little shot of Thai fish sauce made it even better.

I’ve fried, sautéed, roasted, slow-roasted, grilled, broiled, and pan-roasted cod but I’ve never poached it, let alone oil-poached it.  In fact, I’ve never oil-poached anything but I really wanted to do something new so I decided to oil-poach.  That involves putting some oil in a saucepan and bringing it to about 125° and then immersing the fish in the warm oil for about 8-10 minutes until it is done.  Blot off the excess oil, sauce, and serve. Done correctly, the fish absorbs the flavor of the oil but not the oil itself.  My sauce was a basic vinaigrette with capers and preserved lemon.

I liked the cod and the broccolini, but the kohlrabi blew me away. I’ve worked with kohlrabi before but I’ve never cooked it.  It is a terrific element in a slaw but now that I’ve cooked it, I’ve opened up new possibilities.  This recipe was taken from Jack Bishop, who’s now a part of the America’s Test Kitchen group.  Years before, he wrote a book on vegetables that has become one of my real bibles.

Peel and grate the kohlrabi, then sauté it in butter.  Add a healthy amount of grated parmesan and black pepper and there you go – that’s it.  It was amazing. The kohlrabi has a rich, sweet, buttery (no surprise) flavor that is perfectly complemented by the saltiness of the cheese and the pepper.  When I come across kohlrabi again, this is going to be my first option, although I think my access to this weird looking vegetable will be limited to appearances in farmer’s markets.

Recipe – Oil-poached cod

Ingredients (for one)

6 oz piece of cod

olive oil

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sherry vinegar

1/2 tsp capers

1/2 tsp sliced preserved lemon skin

Directions

Select the smallest saucepan you have that will fit the fish.  Add olive oil (regular olive oil will do) until it comes about an inch or so up the sides.  You want it to cover the fish when the fish is placed in the pan, it is barely covered.  Using the lowest heat available, bring the oil to about 130°.  When the oil is ready, place the fish in it and let it go for about 8-10 minutes. When the fish reaches 120° it is done.

While the fish is poaching, mix the vinegar, capers, and preserved lemon together.  Slowly whisk the oil into the vinegar.

When done, remove the fish, blot the excess oil, and plate.  Spoon the vinaigrette over the top and serve.

Recipe – Sautéed kohlrabi

Ingredients

1 kohlrabi, peeled and grated

1 tbl butter

1/4 cup grated parmesan

generous amount of freshly grated pepper

Directions

Melt the butter over medium heat and then add the kohlrabi.  Cook for 6-7 minutes until the it begins to get soft. Add the cheese and stir thoroughly until the cheese melts.  Grate the pepper and serve.

Recipe – Steam/sautéed broccolini

Ingredients

1 bunch broccolini, tough ends trimmed and then chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/3 cup water

1 tbl olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced or crushed

Directions

Put the broccolini and water in a skillet with a closely fitted lid.  Turn the heat to high and steam for about 4 minutes until water is gone. As soon as the water is gone, tilt the skillet and add the oil to get it hot.  Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.  Then level the skillet and toss the broccolini in the hot garlic oil and serve.

Caramelized hakurei turnips

Ingredients

1 bunch of hakurei turnips

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil

salt

freshly ground pepper

Directions

Wash the turnips and then trim the leaves and ends.  Chop the leaves and set aside. Slice the turnips into 1/4″ slices.  Add the turnips, 1 tbl oil, salt, and pepper to a bowl and toss to cover.  Spread the turnip slices a lightly oil baking pan and place in a preheated 425° oven for 15-20 minutes.  Remove and toss the slices to mix them up and cook for another 10 minutes.  The turnips should be lightly browned on both sides when you’re done.

While the turnips are roasting, sauté the leaves in 1 tbl of olive oil with salt and pepper.

When the turnips are done, plate the sautéed leaves and cover with the turnip slices.