Tamarind Turnip and Radish Greens

Need something to do with all those turnip and radish greens? Tamarind has got you covered.  A natural, unrefined source of sweetness, and sour, this delectable little fruit paste is going to cram a ton of flavor into these sharp greens, with very little effort on your part.

Head on over to your local Asian or Indian market, and grab a pack of Tamarind paste, and you can keep it in a zip-top bag in your fridge basically forever after.

But once you learn to work with fruit pastes, my guess is you'll never miss an opportunity to throw in some date or apricot paste to cheer up your dishes.

Serves 2, but can be easily doubled, go ahead and use all the greens from your turnip and radish bunches you *ahem* meant to toss into salads or compost ;)



What you'll use from your bag:
2-4 Turnips
4-6 Radishes
1 stem of spring garlic (or 2 scapes from last week)
Greens from at least 1 bunch of turnips and/or 2-3 bunches of radishes


What else you'll need:
2 Tbs Tamarind paste, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 Tbs Extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp red Miso paste

First, you'll heat your oil on Medium in a pan, and add the garlic
The cooking purists of the bunch will tell you to you should take your tamarind paste and liquid (in this case broth) and maybe even your miso paste and blend before heating.  That's not what I do, but don't let me stop you.  I heat the tamarind paste in the oil at the same pace with the garlic.  This makes a kind of sweet and garlicky bouillon that's bubbly and perfectly seasoned when you go to add the broth.  So, first heat the oil, then add the tamarind and garlic, let cook <1 minute and then add your broth, and stir or whisk vigorously to assist the tamarind to dissolve.

Then, you'll add your turnip greens
this sauté is pretty standard, except no need to cover, and definitely don't walk away as these wilt plenty fast.  Stir a few time to cover evenly, and these guys will get bright green and droop.

Now, add the miso paste

It will make your life easy to dole out the teaspoon of miso in two parts, and stir throughout.  The warm liquid will help the miso incorporate well.  Let the pot simmer for 30-45 seconds, and then take off of the heat.  Let stand about a minute to let the flavors sink in.  Serve with raw radishes and turnips, and don't forget to scoop out (deglaze , if you will) the pan and drizzle it on top!