Warming Autumn Salad

I’m lucky that at the end of August I decided to chance my arm and throw a few turnip seeds in the raised beds. I’m even luckier that they took and actually are now starting to produce lovely looking parsnips. I’m plucking them while they’re small and fresh and oh so gorgeous. I still have random salad leaves growing so really this salad nearly wrote itself. 

It’s warming and light and the contrast of texture between the softness of the roasted turnip and the crunch of the pistachio really hit the spot for me. 

Ingredients:

1 handful of lettuce leaves of your choice; 5 baby turnips (you could use any chopped root vegetables though); 1 shallot; a few pistachio nuts, a sprinkle of chili powder. For the dressing: 1 table spoon of balsamic vinegar; 1 table spoon of soy sauce; 1 table spoon of toasted sesame seeds oil. 

Method:

Place the turnips (sprinkled with the chili and drizzled with oil) in the oven (180 C / gas mark 6)  for 30 min. While the turnips are roasted, shred your shallot finely and toss it in the table spoon of balsamic vinegar. Plate your lettuce and after no less than 15 min you can drain the shallot and put it on the greens. Mix the vinegar with the soy sauce and sesame seed oil. Once the turnips are cooked and have rested a few minutes add them on top of your shallot and sprinkle with the pistachio nuts. Drizzle your dressing and serve.