Maple Glazed Turnips & Carrots
Delicious fall receipe featuring turnips and carrots.
Like all turnips, the Hakurei, or Tokyo, turnip is a member of the Brassica family. This Japanese variety is sometimes referred to as a salad turnip, due to its crisp, delicious raw flavor. Unlike other turnip varieties, hakurei do not need to be cooked. They have an even-textured density and the flavor pairs well with a variety of different food items. Eat them raw (just whole, or chopped/grated in salads), make a quick pickle, or cook with their greens to enhance their natural sweetness.
Handling: Wash and peel the turnip root. Turnips should not be overcooked, or they will become dark in color and strong in flavor. The summer turnip, when sliced, can be cooked in thirty minutes, the winter turnip in from forty-five to sixty minutes.
Storing: Turnips should be stored unwashed in plastic bag in hydrator drawer of the refrigerator. Store greens separately wrapped in damp towel or plastic bag - use them as soon as possible.
Freezing: Freeze turnips in cubes or fully cooked and mashed. Cut off tops, wash and peel. Cut in cubes to blanch or in large chunks to cook and mash before freezing. Cubes blanch in 2 minutes. To mash, cook in boiling water until tender. Drain, mash or sieve. Cool. Leave ½ inch headroom for either.