Friday, May 8, 2009

Swordfish is the Password

Swordfish Steaks, with Turnip Greens,
Harukei Turnips, Asparagus and Potatoes


The farmer's market has just started up and the pickings are still slim, but yesteday I came upon some very interesting little vegetables called harukei turnips. They taste like a cross between a radish and asparagus, and the farmer told me they would be excellent either raw or roasted alongside some actual asparagus. I had some asparagus at home, some swordfish in my freezer (an excellent deal at Trader Joe's), and the good fortune of a boyfriend who is exceedingly fond of both swordfish and asparagus. He likes potatoes, too, as do I, so I also roasted some of those. The greens from the turnips looked wonderfully fresh, so I sauteed them and served them as well. I don't care to dwell on it, but this must have been a damn healthy dinner.

I'm not even going to include a recipe for the roasted potatoes and vegetables, since all I did was set my oven to 350, rub a little olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice on everything, and cook it. The potatoes stayed in for about 45 minutes; I stuck the turnips and asparagus in a separate pan and cooked them for about 25 minutes.

Swordfish Steaks

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 swordfish steaks
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp crushed basil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Northwoods seasoning (from Penzeys.com)

Rub the above mixture onto your swordfish steaks and cook on medium heat until brown on both sides, about 10-15 minutes if the steaks are about an inch thick. That's it.


Turnip Greens with Mushrooms


1 tbsp oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1 bunch turnip greens
2 tsp lemon juice
salt & pepper (to taste)

Sautee the garlic in oil, then add the shallots and mushrooms and cook until lightly browned. Add the wine, then toss in the greens. Lower heat to lowest setting and cover for 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally, and once greens are tender turn off the heat. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste before serving.

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