![]() The varietal actually has two seasons in Colorado - late spring and early autumn - and the two different plantings have subtle nuances we love to feature in our dishes. Its omnipresence at farmers' markets has also made it a mainstay with many local chefs it's a hallmark of the seasonally focused menus at my restaurants, Apple Blossom (822 18th Street) and Coperta (400 East 20th Avenue). Hakurei turnips also happen to grow remarkably well on Colorado’s Front Range, with multiple local farmers naming it among their most prized harvest. However, their superhero powers shine when they're eaten raw, with a flavor profile that is sweet and juicy, like Honeycrisp apples, and crispy, like the best radishes and celery. When cooked, hakurei are buttery and creamy. It has a mild flavor, natural sweetness and crunchy texture. ![]() Also known as Tokyo turnips and Japanese salad turnips, this smooth, eggshell-white root vegetable, while still a turnip, stands in stark contrast to its purple-top cousin. Often seen as a pre-war relic that our parents’ parents grew up eating and preserving, the turnip has never really been given its due.Įnter the hakurei turnip. These are purple-top turnips, a member of the Brassica family, slightly sulfuric in flavor, with a texture akin to cardboard until you most likely boil or roast them. Their imperfect trim would end up as buffet-style turnip mash for the school meal (with barely any students indulging in them).Įven those same Irish immigrants cast aside their traditional turnip in favor of the extra-large American pumpkin, thus beginning the custom of carving jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween in the United States. During culinary school, we used turnips frequently as knife fodder to practice tournant and macedoine cuts. Without much fanfare, my father enjoys this side all to himself, a nostalgic dish harking back to his youth - a solitary, happy memory rooted in the Irish immigrant food his own parents served him.Īt Thanksgiving, and otherwise, the turnip has long been cast aside by those seeking culinary excellence, never coming close to achieving the elite sexy-vegetable status of tomatoes, asparagus or even beets nowadays. He is literally the only one at a table of often more than twenty guests who eats this with his turkey. Every Thanksgiving, my mother prepares a small side of mashed turnips for my dad.
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