Fried Egg with Minutina, Japanese Turnips, & Jerusalem Artichoke

I had never heard of Minutina before I saw it at the market. i looked it up when I got home and found that it goes by other names, including Buckshorn Plantain, or herba stella. 

I decided that for my first time cooking with it I would try it quickly panfried with Jerusalem Artichokes and turnips. 

Minutina tasted a little sweeter than baby spinach and had a baby kale-like texture. If you cannot find minutina, you can replicate this recipe with kale, dandelion leaves,  or spinach. 

If you were to replicate the recipe with dandelion leaves, I would par-boil them first before beginning to sauté them.

After washing and patting dry, I cut my minutina into 1 inch pieces. 

I pan fried the jerusalem artichoke and turnip with paprika in olive oil. 

After the root vegetables have gained the crisp that I wanted, I added the minutina and sautéed for 1-2  minutes until the leaves became a vibrant  green. I then fried an egg and served that egg on top of my greens and root vegetables. 

Butternut Squash Soup

This butternut squash soup is a game changer. 

It’s simple, delicious, fast, hearty, and easily modified to fit dietary restrictions.

Butternut squash soup with pan-fried salad turnips

Butternut Squash Soup with pan-fried apple sausage, shallots and escarole

You will need:

2 large yellow onions

1 shallot

1 tbsp. olive oil

The flesh of 2 butternut squash

36 oz. Chicken Stock (or Vegetable stock)

1 tbsp. Garlic

1 tsp. Turmeric

1 tbsp. Ginger

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Cumin

1/2 tsp. Sage

Himalayan Salt

Pepper

Optional: Curry Powder

Cut the squash into chunks approximately 1 inch long. 

If you are in a bit of a rush, a lot of grocers are now selling butternut squash already prepared (peeled and cut).

You do not need to cook your squash before adding it to the pot.

Caramelize the onion and shallots with about 1/2 tsp. of salt in the olive oil over medium heat until almost translucent. 

Add the butternut squash chunks, spices, and the chicken stock. 

Cook for approximately 20 minutes until the squash is tender. 

Turn the heat to low, use your emulsion blender to puree the mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste. 

I like to top the soup with additional protein or sautéed vegetables in order to make it feel heartier. 

This time around, I decided to pair the soup with pan-fried apple sausage, shallots, and escarole.