Cooked vegetables are not highly considered in Iraq, where they usually only find a place in a pot with meat, but turnips are treated with special respect. One way of dealing with young turnips is to peel and boil them in salted water, then press them under a weight to squeeze out some of the water, and serve them with a dusting of sugar. A special flavor is obtained when a little date syrup, called dibbis (see page 43), is stirred into the cooking water. Lately, I have tried sautéing sliced turnips with fresh dates and found it very pleasant to serve as a side dish with meat or chicken. You may use a moist variety of California dried dates.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 2-4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Boil the turnips in salted water until only just tender and drain.
Step 2
Heat the butter in a skillet and sauté the turnips until they begin to color. Season with salt and pepper, add the dates, and cook through, shaking the pan and stirring.
