In Kim's Kitchen

Savoy Cabbage has a pleasant, light flavor that is well-suited to light cooking.

Savoy Cabbage with Carrots and Ginger

2 cups savoy cabbage
3 carrots
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

Shred the Savoy cabbage finely. Grate the carrots. Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the ginger heat lightly, add cabbage and carrots. Sauté the vegetables for just a couple of minutes until fork tender. Add salt pepper and pine nuts. Toss with the Balsamic vinegar right before serving.

Daikon radishes are popular in Japan, where they account for 15% of that country’s vegetable production. We frequently enjoy them sliced, raw, as a foil to salty meats or just for snacking. We also enjoy the following recipe:

Beet, Carrot, and Daikon Salad

1 medium beet
6-inch piece of daikon
1 medium carrot
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp canola oil

Grate all of the roots together, and add salt and pepper to taste. Add rice vinegar, sesame oil, and canola. Makes 4 small servings.

Daikon radishes also work nicely in just about any recipe that calls for spring or winter radishes. This take on Waldorf salad has the fun seasonal twist of celeriac in the place of celery.

Waldorf Salad on a Bed of Greens

1 cup mayonnaise
1teaspoon grated lemon peel
1teaspoon lemon juice
6 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup chopped celeriac, or celery
1 medium winter radish, chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup pecans, toasted, chopped
Salad mix, or fresh spinach

Mix mayonnaise, lemon peel and lemon juice in bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Toss apples, celeriac, radishes, cranberries, and red onion in large bowl. Add lemon mayonnaise, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, stir in pecans and spoon on top of plated up salad.

Our crop of potatoes this year was plagued with all kinds of difficulties, a real sob story, but the end of it was that they never got hilled due to August’s heavy rains (we plant our spuds late to avoid a variety of early-season diseases and pests) and now they have green spots, which are caused by exposure to light. Cut them out before you use the potatoes, and everything will be okay.

Tasty, flat Cipollini Onions have a full flavor that nicely complements the earthy flavor of turnips in this sauté, which works nicely with regular red onions as well.

Turnip Cipollini Onion Sauté

3 -4 medium turnips cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3 medium cipollini onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter
dash nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Boil turnips until fork tender about 7 minutes. Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until foamy. Add onions, and cook until soft and starting to brown. Drain turnips and add to onions. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper; cook until golden brown.

Baked Carrot Puree

2 cups water
1 teaspoon table salt
1 pound carrots, cut into1-2 inch pieces (no need to peel)
About 1/2 cup cooking water
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup half & half

Preheat oven to 350. Bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and carrots, cover and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain the carrots (save the water!) and transfer to a food processor. Add the water (enough to get the consistency thick not runny) and rosemary. Puree until almost smooth. Add the butter and brown sugar and continue pureeing. Stir in the half & half. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Place in hot oven for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly all the way through.