last current adventures with turnips

We have had people living on broths around here lately.  Allergies are rampant and my Beloved has been under the weather.  He has not been hungry at all, which is not a good thing.  Especially when he is swinging a handle in his forge.  His knife business is growing so he needs to keep up his strength.  Broths are a way to do that when nothing else appeals.

This is a simple one and soothes the throat.  A bit of turnip, onion, garlic.  A pinch of salt, garlic, and thyme.  A quart of vegetable broth and a couple tablespoons of cooked rice for each bowl.  Healing.  Strengthening.  A bit of love in a bowl.

Turnip soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons minced onion

4 cloves of minced garlic

1 turnip, washed and sliced into wedges

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 quart vegetable broth

cooked rice.

In a medium heavy pot, over medium heat, pour the oil.  Let it get hot and add the onion and turnip.  You want the onion to caramlize and the turnip to start having brown edges.  Add the garlic and cook until lightly brown.  Add the salt, pepper, and thyme.  Mix well.  Pour in the vegetable broth and cook until the turnips are tender.

When the broth is hot through and the turnips done, put a couple tablespoons of cooked rice in the bottom of a bowl.  We like a mix of brown and white.  Pour in a cup of the soup.  Enjoy.  

If your stomach is up to it, add a piece of toast with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper on it.  A bit of salad.  A few bites of fruit.  Strengthening the body and soul.

braised turnips

I told you I was on a turnip trip.  We also had braised turnips on our dinner out.  It changed the whole taste of the turnip, taking it from something with a bit of a bite to have an edge of sweet.  I did something similar with the turnips like I do with brussell sprouts but used vegetable broth instead of cream and a touch of thyme.  This was a lovely vegetable to go with the shwarma I made.

Braised Turnips

1 turnip, washed, root and top bits cut off, sliced into many wedges

2 tablespoons minced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

a pinch of salt

a pinch of pepper

a pinch of thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 to 1 cup vegetable broth

In a heavy small pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat.  Put in the onion and cook until it starts to get golden.  Add the turnips and garlic.  You want the garlic to be golden and brown bits on the turnips.  Add the salt, pepper, and thyme.  Stir well.  Add 1/2 cup broth and cover.  Bring the broth to a boil and turn down to a simmer.  Cook the turnips until soft to a fork being poked in them.  Depending on the color of your broth, they may be very golden to brown.  Serve on a plate with a sprinkle of turnip chips.

The picture of this on the plate was very blurry.  There was a lot going on in the kitchen then.  Cooking.  People.  Sick Beloved but he will say he is not.

This with a bit of sourdough toast would make a lovely lunch.  Tea with a bit of fruit added and I would be very happy.

turnip chips

I have been interested in turnips since my Beloved read me Supper of the Lamb on our last camping trip.  Robert Capon talked about how lovely turnip broth was.  Then, we went to the soft opening of Oxheart and they had turnips multiple ways (the first time we had been out to dinner together since November!).  My Beloved made the steak knives for them.  I decided that I really needed to try turnips.  And not like when I was little and reading the Little House Books.

The first thing I tried was turnip chips.  I was actually using them as a garnish but I think they would be addictive as a snack.  Along the lines of parsnip chips!  Roasting them really sweetens them but there is still lots of flavor.

Turnip Chips

turnips, washed and sliced into thin rounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

a pinch of salt

a pinch of pepper

a pinch of thyme

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put the olive oil in a pan or a baking sheet.  Add the turnip slices.  Sprinkle with the pepper, and thyme.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden, flipping at least once.  Watch them closely because they brown quickly.

Remove from the oven and place on a plate.  Sprinkle with a touch of salt.  I would taste first because they are very easy to over salt.

I was surprised how yummy these were.  I would like them when I was craving something crunchy or snacky or just wish to change the texture a bit on braised turnips (they are coming).

burning down the house

It has been an interesting day for fire.  I received a text message from my Beloved today:  I will not burn down the house.  I will not burn down the house.  I will not burn down the house....  Knife making and dust handlers can be very combustible.

Then, I was playing with the Smallest Short Person while the Tall Short Person and my Beloved were making dinner.  I heard this "Lady, can you come here?"  The oven was on fire.  Baking soda is a good thing.  

I am actually not very stressed about the either.  Though, I would be more upset about the oven.  How would I bake?

I decided last week that I wanted a bit of a sweet bread for breakfast.  Last time it was cinnamon rolls so this time I decided on orange rolls.  I have tried multiple recipes for orange rolls.  Simply, to make good orange rolls, you need butter, eggs, milk, and lots of orange flavor of some type.  I find glaze is much more important thing with orange rolls then cinnamon rolls for me.  

These turned out well.  I might give you another recipe someday, just because I do so, but these are good.

Orange Rolls

sourdough starter

1 cup flour

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter, cut up into chunks

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/4 to 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 3 tablespoons hempmilk

The night before you wish to make the rolls, mix the starter, 1 cup flour, and 3/4 cup water together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.  Cover and let sit overnight.

The next day, remove 2 to 4 tablespoons of starter and put in the refrigerator for the next time you bake.

In the same bowl, mix in the sugar, eggs, butter, sour cream, orange extract, and 2 cups flour with a wooden spoon.  It does not have to be smooth. Let sit for about two hours or until it is bubbly and looks like pancake batter. 

Mix in the salt.  Mix in enough flour with the wooden spoon that it makes a dough you cannot stir anymore.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.  Put back in the bowl, cover, and let rise until double, about two hours.

Punch down and let rise until double again, about an hour or so.  Rising times are very dependent on the temperature of your house.

When the dough has risen a second time, punch it down.  In a small bowl, mix the 1/4 cup softened butter, 1/2 sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon orange extract together.  Set aside.

Roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.

Smear the butter/sugar mixture you just made all over the dough.

Roll the dough up the long edge.  Cut the roll in two inch lengths.  Place in a buttered 9" by 13" by 2" pan, leaving space between the rolls.  Cover and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour or until puffy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake the rolls for about 40 minutes or until golden.  Remove and let cool.

In another small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange extract together.  Add the hempmilk a little at a time until you have a nice glaze.  Either glaze all the rolls at once or separately.  My family likes separate because it means the possibility of more frosting.

These make me smile.

And yes, the oven is okay and the house is okay.

on to the cheesecake

My Beloved sent me a text this week saying he won the food lottery.  It was actually not about this cheesecake but something else I am going to blog about.  He says this is a bit of heaven.  He is a bit strange and only calls food sexy.  This got the sexy adjective.  I thought maybe the layers would be too thin but I really like the porportion.  So I am odd.  I got the idea from Joy the Baker and then used all my favorite bits in the makings.  I do that a lot.  Cool idea, now how would I do that with the things we like best.  It works.

Caramel Cheesecake

Note:  If you wish to use wheat flour, use 1 cup of all purpose flour in the molasses crinckle shortbread recipe instead of the gluten free flours.

2 cups gluten free molasses crinckle shortbread dough

1 recipe caramel sauce, warm

16 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup granlulated sugar

2 eggs

4 teaspoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons vanilla (the best you can find)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Butter a 9 inch springform pan.

Press in the cookie dough.

Cream the cream cheese with the sugar.  Mix in the eggs, heavy cream, cornstarch, and vanilla.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until it is just set.

Pour the warm caramel sauce over the cheesecake.  Now if you do not wish to make a mess, make sure this cheesecake resides in the refrigerator for a few hours.  

If you do not, may hear sounds of enjoyment coming from your kitchen as fingers clean up the counter!  Either way, this cheesecake is awfully good.  I like cheesecake but  I would not usually ask for cheesecake or make it often.  This one may be the exception as long as my Dad's caramels are still around!