Getting Exotic with Local Vegetables

In this week's share from The Full Plate Farm Collective: radishes and hakurei turnips (both with full bushy greens), kale, red leaf lettuce, swiss chard, salad greens, basil. This is also our first week of the fruit share, which included strawberries and rhubarb.

Here are the dishes I have made so far:

Lentils with Yogurt, Preserved Lemon, and Greens
An amalgam of Indian and North African flavors, tied together by the tartness of yogurt and lemon. Goes well with rice.

4 whole dried chilies
1/2 t. whole cumin
2 onions sliced
2 t. ground coriander
1-1/2 T. paprika
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. besan (chickpea flour)
2 c. hot water
1-1/2 c. yogurt
8 c. chopped greens (I used radish greens, turnip greens, and swiss chard)
2 wedges preserved lemon (peel and pulp), chopped
2 cups pardina (Spanish) lentils, cooked in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes
Several handfuls of cilantro

Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry the chilies for a few seconds until darkened. Add the whole cumin and sizzle for another few seconds. Then, add the onions and fry until dark reddish brown (almost burned), about 10 minutes. Add the ground spices and stir. Immediately lower the heat and sprinkle in the besan, stirring constantly to prevent burning; fry for a few minutes until darkened. Add the hot water and stir into the besan. Unlike wheat flour roux, the besan will not form lumps.

At this point, careful handling is required to prevent the yogurt from curdling in the heat. Slowly drizzle in the yogurt while stirring vigorously, incorporating the yogurt into the roux as soon as it hits the pan. Raise the heat and add the preserved lemon and greens; simmer until the greens are wilted and the chard is silky, 5-10 minutes. Fold in the lentils and serve garnished with cilantro.

Rhubarb Compote
I cut the rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces and simmered for 20 minutes in a spicy citrus syrup. The rhubarb disintegrated completely, giving the compote the consistency of applesauce. I don't know how I will use this mushy concoction yet, but I imagine it's good over ice cream or yogurt.

Braised Radishes and Turnips
Inspired by a recipe from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. My world-traveling friend Anna gave me some berbere that she acquired in Ethiopia. She advised that adding a teaspoon of the powder fried briefly in butter (not oil) to lentils gives it that distinctive Ethiopian flavor. The same trick appears to work beautifully with radishes and turnips, and I'm going to try it next with tough greens like collards or kale.

2 T. butter
1 t. berbere
one onion, finely diced
20 (approximately) trimmed whole radishes and small turnips (with larger ones halved or quartered)
3 small carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
water or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and fry the berbere until it blooms (fragrance fills the room). Add the onion and saute for a minute, until softened. Add the radishes, turnips, and carrots, along with water or broth to cover and a bit of salt (about 1/2 t.); simmer until the radishes and turnips are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the radishes and turnips to a serving dish and reduce the carrots and liquid until 1/4 cup remains; leaving the carrots in imparts a nice sweetness. Pour the sauce over the radishes and carrots and season with pepper.