55 minutes
A delightful blend of sweet, tangy, and slightly bitter flavors featuring balsamic-glazed turnips, sweet prunes, and crisp radicchio.
Pitted Prunes, quartered
each
tablespoons
drizzle
Garlic Clove, smashed and peeled
each
teaspoons
Japanese Turnips, greens cut off and reserved, trimmed and halved
bunch
to taste
to taste
Radicchio, cut into 1-inch ribbons, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well
head
1. Soak Prunes
Begin by soaking the quartered prunes in a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and enough warm water to cover them. Leave them for 20 minutes, allowing them to soften and plump up.
2. Infuse Oil
While the prunes are soaking, heat a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and the dried chile flakes. Cook them until the garlic turns soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Cook Turnips
Once the garlic is ready, place the halved turnips in the skillet, cut side down. Season them with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let them cook for about 4-5 minutes until they are lightly browned on the cut side.
4. Steam Turnips
Flip the turnips over and pour in the prunes along with their soaking liquid. If necessary, add a bit more soaking liquid to ensure there's enough to steam the turnips. Cover the skillet and let the turnips steam until tender but not mushy.
5. Add Greens and Radicchio
Add the reserved turnip greens and the well-drained radicchio ribbons to the skillet. Increase the heat slightly and stir everything together until the greens wilt and the radicchio becomes crisp-tender. This should take just a few minutes.
6. Season and Serve
Season the dish with more salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of balsamic vinegar over the top and finish with an extra splash of olive oil. Serve immediately.
For an Asian twist, use soy sauce mixed with a little honey for the glaze, eggplant instead of turnips, and figs instead of prunes. Swap radicchio with watercress and add sesame seeds for crunch. Include seared salmon or tempeh for protein.
The process involves cooking vegetables with a bit of fat, a sweetener (like balsamic or another type of vinegar, honey, or sugar), and a liquid (like water, stock, or wine) until they become tender and the liquid reduces to a syrupy consistency.
Replace turnips with carrots, prunes with apricots, and radicchio with arugula. You can add slivered almonds for crunch and goat cheese for creaminess.
Combining the sweetness of prunes and balsamic glaze with the bitterness of radicchio creates a sophisticated flavor profile.
Crumble some goat cheese or feta over the finished dish for a creamy tanginess, or shave over some aged Parmesan or Pecorino for a salty umami kick.
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