Aesthesia & {Roasted Turnips with Maple & Cardamom}

I've been doing a little decorating. Only with widgets and gadgets and fonts and font colors instead of with furniture, knickknacks and paint. I feel like I am moving in here, and not quite settled in yet. I could have waited until it was all situated before inviting you here, but good friends stop by unannounced, come in the backdoor, and catch you in your jammies, no makeup, messy house, boxes still unpacked. I figure unpacking is more fun with company.

I didn't realize it when I began, but it looks like my goal is turning out to be to make this blog look as close to my home, my kitchen, as possible. I'd love to have you all over for coffee and pie, but since that isn't possible, welcome to my cozy, virtual kitchen, and a mishmash of things that are dear to me. Over to the right, I've added a list of children's books we are currently loving, which I will update periodically (in addition to mentioning our very favorites, like Amos, in my posts).

Over the past few years, I have grown passionate about fresh produce(...crickets....) What? Is produce an awkward thing to be passionate about? I take stickers off fruit and vegetables as soon as I get them, because they are just so darn pretty in the bowl and we can enjoy the way they look until they are snatched up and eaten. 

It's hard to pinpoint where this passion began, but I think it was around the time I started making my oldest son's baby food. I had done my research and was pretty fascinated by what I read about their little tastebuds...how they're formed, how they grow and change. It occurred to me just how cool it was that as mothers, we go from sustaining our baby's life with our milk, to introducing to them all the flavors in the world, baby step by step...from the time they are just barely able to gum the applesauce until they are grown men scooping up seconds of the apple pie at Thanksgiving dinner. This to me has become this beautiful, symbolic picture of how I want to raise my boys. To give them a little taste of everything, from food to music to literature to life....to instill in them a curiosity and to help foster an insatiable appetite for more. 

aes·the·sia
: capacity for sensation and feeling : sensibility

 noun

Back to produce...

Do you like turnips? Do you "turnip" your nose at them? (sorry). I decided that I am not going to make a final decision about whether I like a certain food unless I try it three different ways first. Steamed turnips? Yeah, not so much. But roasting does something incredible to most vegetables. It brings out this caramelized, sweet depth and richness to the flavors. If you like turnips, or if you don't think you do, but are willing to give them another go......

Roasted Turnips with Maple and Cardamom

Here's what goes in...

pretty turnips

Now that's a lot of turnips (I made more than the recipe called for)

Toss in a bowl with oil and salt.

ready to bask in the heat of the oven

Melt the butter

Add in vanilla and spices

turnips in all of their caramelized goodness

Roasted Turnips with Maple and Cardamom

Roasted Turnips with Maple and Cardamom    

{TIP: Here is a little secret. Roasted turnips taste like marshmallows. Period. So if you'd like to stop after the first step and skip the rest of the recipe, you'll be just fine.}

Cilantro, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon, crushed red pepper, cardamom and coriander? An unlikely combination of flavors had me skeptical at first...until I tried it. I love turnips. Who knew? (Also, my favorite part of this was the maple-cardamom "sauce" that you toss it in at the end. I want to try it with something other than turnips....we were thinking drizzled on top of baked salmon? Let me know what you think!)

3 1/2 lb. purple-top turnips (I used 2 different varieties), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice (10 cups)
3 Tbs. vegetable oil (or olive oil)
Kosher salt
1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter
3 Tbs. pure maple syrup (no Aunt Jemima here, the good stuff please....)
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
generous pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh cilantro (or a mix of parsley and mint...I've only tried this with the cilantro, but but this other combo sounds amazing!)


Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Line two large, heavy-duty rimmed baking sheets with foil. In a mixing bowl, combine the turnips, oil, and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Toss to coat well. Divide the turnips between the two pans and spread evenly in one layer. Roast for 20 minutes. With a large spatula, flip the turnips. Swap the pans' positions and roast until tender and nicely browned on a few sides, 15 to 20 minutes (or even a few minutes longer, depending on your preference for how "toasty" you like things. i usually get mine a little "toastier" than I did here, but had some hungry, impatient boys waiting). The turnips on the lower rack may be done sooner than those on the upper rack.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the maple syrup, vanilla, and red pepper flakes, and then the coriander and cardamom, until the sauce is heated, 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat.

Transfer the turnips to a large mixing bowl. Gently reheat the sauce, if necessary, and stir in the lemon juice. With a heatproof spatula, toss the sauce with the turnips. Add half the cilantro and salt to taste and toss again. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with the remaining cilantro.

Make Ahead Tips:

This dish can be made a day ahead. To reheat, put the dressed turnips (without the cilantro) in a large nonstick skillet and cover with a lid. Heat gently over medium-low heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add the cilantro and season to taste with salt just before serving.


Recipe adapted from: www.thebittenword.com