Ginger Carrots and Turnips

It’s hard to believe that I went from never having a turnip before to having them three weeks in a row in our CSA share!  After trying creamed greens and then simply grilling the turnips last week, I thought it would be good to do something different this time.  So I combined them with some carrots and a glaze/sauce consisting of a reduction of butter, honey, lemon, and fresh ginger for a real treat – both sweet and peppery at the same time.

Gather Up:

• 1/2 lb peeled baby carrots – use actual baby carrots if you can find them (rather than the pseudo-baby carrots we had)
• 1 bunch spring turnips, about 1/2 lb (trim the tops, leaving a small bit of green)
• 3 tbsp pastured butter – divided
• juice of a half lemon (this one has just been zested for another recipe)
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchstick-sized pieces
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1-1/2 cups water
• pinch or two of sea salt

Start out cutting up the turnips into pieces roughly the same size as the carrots.  Arrange them in a large sauté pan with the carrots, then add the water.  Cut two tablespoons of the butter into smaller “pats” and scatter then over the top, then sprinkle with the sea salt.  Turn the heat on to high until the liquid starts to boil, then cover and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for about 10 minutes until the veggies are tender.

In the meantime, get the ginger sliced up and set aside.  Also juice the half lemon and set aside in a small prep bowl, and gather up the honey and the remaining butter.

When the carrots and turnips are cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan and transfer to a serving bowl (keeping the liquid in the pan).  Cover them to keep warm.  Add the honey and the ginger to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high to bring to a boil.  Continue to boil for about 5 minutes until the liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency and has a pale golden color.

Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the lemon juice and reduce to a simmer for another two or three minutes while stirring constantly to evaporate some of the liquid from the lemon juice.  Once it is back to a syrup consistency, pour over the carrots and turnips.  Let it stand for about five minutes to cool a little before serving.  This makes a great side for a main dish that also uses citrus for flavor, such as this turkey breast or a pork chop recipe we’ll be featuring later this week.