What’s up with the weird, cheesy title?

Well, lately with this whole “polar vortex” thing, I’ve been trying to spice things up a little by trying a few (kind of) new foods. None of these are things I haven’t eaten before, but they are all things I haven’t personally prepared or had in this raw form before.

First up- “Turn,” as in Turnip. I’ve had these in soups and in roasted root vegetables before, but usually I just think, “meh,” and go for their tastier name-cousins, parsnips (my preeeeecious).

But good things come to those who throw a turnip in their grocery cart, and so after a quick google (apparently you can eat the skin, but its not super tasty, so I peeled for my maiden voyage)…

whole

peeled

chopped and ready for my soup!

Verdict: Good texture- fine for soup. I actually preferred the taste raw though, sort of like a raw potato bred with jicama? I won’t go out of my way to eat this again.

Next up: “Turm” as in “turmeric.” I cook with ground turmeric all of the time (in fact I’m due for a new supply from Penzey’s) but had never bought turmeric root before. However, since we all know that turmeric is “ye great olde anti-inflammatory,” I had to try it when I saw it advertised at one of the local co-ops.

the root/bisection

chopped y listos por mi sopa!

Verdict: Color- lovely! didn’t even stain my (similarly colored) cutting board. Smell- Man-go-round thought it smelled like “dirt” and I thought it had a familiar smell- maybe like grass or plants in general? Definitely less fragrant than ginger or garlic or other fresh herbs. Taste- didn’t seem to have much either raw or once in the soup. I may try mixing it with some fresh ginger to make a pretty orange tea though… I’ll keep you “posted” har har har.

Finally: “Tam” brought to you by the fruit, “Tamarind.” I have had tamarind in things before (chutneys, worcestershire sauce, various store-bought sauces) but never the raw fruit. I saw it and had to seize the opportunity. Nerd that I am, I literally bought one pod to try.

Side note: Tamarind has shown, in some studies, to help the body excrete excess fluoride. Quelle interesant!

just a humble kinda guy

peeling: closer, clarice… (sorry)

one bite gone and the (inedible) seed

I’ll give a bit more how-to on this one: you just crack the seed, start peeling the extra pith thing off (there is a string to help you) and then take a bite. Once you get the bite you eat it kind of like an olive, and there is a point a few chews in where the seed just easily slips off of the sticky fruit (date-like texture) and you can discard the seed in your souffle cup (the only way that thing is getting used by me haha).

Verdict: Yummy! Slightly sweet and definitely sour, with a decadent stickiness that makes me think of being a kid. The first thing I thought of is those sour dried plum candies you can get at some markets (I will always think of San Francisco’s Chinatown where I bought a big bag and got “sour tongue” from eating too much). If I see these again I’l buy some more and make the tamarind balls where you roll the fruit in balls and then in sugar. Yum!

So that’s all I have for you today. What new foods or recipes have you tried lately? Have you tried these foods?

Meri