Braised turnips with miso

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 40 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

Turnips, white, peeled, halved	1 pound
Butter, unsalted	2 tablespoons
Water	¾ cup
Vinegar, sherry	1 tablespoons
Salt	Pinch
Miso, white	2 tablespoons
Honey	1 teaspoon

1. If the turnips come with greens, wash and chopped them; set aside. 
2. Place the turnips, butter, water, vinegar, and salt in a high-sided medium skillet. 
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat; simmer gently for 20 minutes. 
4. Uncover, and reserve about ¼ cup of the cooking liquid from the pan. 
5. Bring the heat up to medium-high; continue to cook the turnips in the remaining liquid until it has almost evaporated and the turnips are tender and glazed, about 5 to 8 minutes. 
6. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the reserved liquid with the miso paste and honey, until smooth. 
7. Pour the miso mixture in with the turnips, add the greens if you have them, mix well, and cook for 1 minute to heat through; serve warm. 

Recipe from Fred Hutch’s CookForYourLife.com.

Hakka-style salt-baked chicken

Active: 40 minutes; Total: 4 hours 15 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

Chicken, whole	4 pounds
Ginger, fresh, unpeeled, cut into 5 slices	1-inch piece
Scallions, cut into 1 ½-inch long pieces	2 medium
Rice wine or dry sherry	1 ½ tablespoons
Cilantro	5 sprigs + 2 sprigs
Star anise, whole, coarsely crushed	1
Rose dew liqueur or extra-dry vermouth	1 tablespoon
Salt, kosher	4 ½ pounds + ¼ teaspoon
Chinese chile sauce	1 tablespoon
Water, hot	1 tablespoon
Vinegar, rice	1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons
Sugar, granulated	½ teaspoon + 1 teaspoon
Garlic, finely chopped	4 teaspoons
Ginger, peeled, finely chopped	1 tablespoon
Oil, corn or peanut	2 tablespoons

1. Remove and discard giblets; trim excess fat; pat chicken dry with paper towels. 
2. Smash the ginger and scallions on a cutting board with the broad side of a knife blade. 
3. Rub the chicken cavity with rice wine; stuff with the smashed ginger and scallion, 5 cilantro sprigs, and crushed star anise. 
4. Pull the chicken legs together, and truss tightly with butcher’s twine; tuck the wings back behind the neck. 
5. Brush liqueur evenly over the chicken skin. 
6. Place the chicken, breast side up, on a wire rack; let stand at room temperature in an airy place until the skin is dry to the touch, about 2 hours. 
7. Wrap the chicken in a single layer of loose-weave cheesecloth; bunch together extra cheesecloth above the breast, tying into a knot or with a piece of string; trim off excess cheesecloth. (The chicken should be tightly wrapped in a bundle.) 
8. Preheat oven to 275°F. 
9. Place 4 ½-pounds salt in a large, heavy, ovenproof stockpot that is just wider than the chicken and will hold the chicken snugly. 
10. Heat over medium-high, stirring often, until the salt is very hot to the touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. 
11. Remove and reserve 7-cups salt from the stockpot, leaving about 1 inch of salt on the bottom of the stockpot. 
12. Place the cheesecloth-wrapped chicken in the stockpot, breast side up, and cover completely with the reserved hot salt. 
13. Cover the stockpot; bake in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of the chicken registers 160°F, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. 
14. Remove from oven; let the chicken stand in stockpot for 20 minutes. 
15. Hakka chile sauce: Whisk together chile sauce, water, 1-teaspoon vinegar, and ½-teaspoon sugar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves; let stand 15 minutes before serving. 
16. Hakka garlic sauce: Whisk together 2-tablespoons vinegar, garlic, and 1-teaspoon sugar until the sugar dissolves; let stand 15 minutes before serving. 
17. Hakka ginger sauce: Place 1-tablespoon ginger in a small, heavy serving saucer; heat the oil over medium-high heat until nearly smoking, then pour over ginger; stir to combine; sprinkle with salt, stir again; serve warm or at room temperature. 
18. Gently remove the chicken from the stockpot, holding the knotted cheesecloth on top and pushing the salt aside. (Try not to tip the chicken, so the juices do not spill.) 
19. Carefully transfer the chicken to a platter, and remove the cheesecloth; discard the salt in the stockpot. Remove the trussing strings from the chicken; remove and discard solids inside the cavity of the chicken. 
20. Serve the chicken warm or at room temperature; chop Chinese-style into bite-size pieces; garnish with remaining cilantro sprigs, and serve with the sauces. 

Recipe from Food & Wine Chicken.

Crostini neri

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 30 minutes; Yield: 8 servings

Carrot, minced	1 medium
Celery, minced	1 stalk
Onion, red, minced	1 small
Rosemary, fresh, minced	2 tablespoons
Sage, fresh, minced	2 tablespoons
Olive oil, extra virgin	2 tablespoons
Salt	Pinch
Bay leaf	1
Chicken livers, cleaned, chopped	1 pound
Capers, rinsed	2 tablespoons
Anchovy paste	30 grams
Butter, unsalted	60 grams

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the oil, and then add the vegetables and herbs with a pinch of salt; sauté for 10 minutes. 
2. Add the livers with the bay leaf; stir with a wooden spoon until browned nicely. 
3. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Stir in the capers, anchovy paste, and butter; remove and discard the bay leaf. 
5. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, and pulse until smooth. 
6. Serve with toasted bread. 

Recipe modified from VisitTuscany.com.

Watermelon-basil sorbet

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 4 hours 20 minutes; Yield: 1 quart

Watermelon, ripe, diced in 1-inch cubes	7 cups (3 to 4 pounds)
Sugar, granulated	¾ cup
Basil, fresh, torn + minced	1 cup packed + 2 tablespoons
Lime juice, freshly squeezed	3 tablespoons
Chambord	1 tablespoon
Vodka	1 tablespoon
Salt	Pinch

1. Puree the watermelon in a food processor or blender. 
2. Place a fine mesh sieve over a mixing bowl, and transfer the watermelon to the strain off the juice; discard the pulp. 
3. Reserve ¾-cup of the juice, and place in a small saucepan with the sugar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
4. Add 1-cup of torn basil leaves, cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes. 
5. Strain the simple syrup into the bowl with the rest of the watermelon juice; whisk to incorporate. 
6.  Whisk in the lime juice, Chambord, vodka, and salt. 
7. Cover, and chill for 4 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. 
8. Prior to churning, stir in 2-tablespoons minced basil. 
9. Churn in your ice cream maker for 15 to 20 minutes; it will look slushy but will get firmer in the freezer. 
10. Freeze for 24 to 48 hours to cure the sorbet before serving, if possible to wait that long. 

Recipe from Sense & Edibility by Marta Rivera.

Honeydew sorbet

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 4 hours and 45 minutes; Yield: 1 quart

Honeydew melon, diced	1 pound
Lemon juice	3 tablespoons
Vodka	1 tablespoon
Sugar, granulated	¾ cup

1. Puree the melon in a food processor or blender until smooth.
2. Strain the pulp over a bowl; transfer the juice to a saucepan, and reserve the pulp. 
3. Add the lemon juice and sugar to the pan, and heat over medium until the sugar dissolves.
4. Stir in the reserved pulp and vodka, then chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 
5. Churn in an ice cream maker until slushy. 
6. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 24 to 48 hours to cure.  

Recipe mildly modified from Alton Brown.