Best Pancetta And Sesame Coated Turnips Recipes

Swiss Chard with Pancetta & Baby Turnips image

Yield serves: 4

Number Of Ingredients 8

Kosher salt
1 bunch of baby turnips, tops removed
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 bunch of Swiss chard, stems removed and cut into 1/2-inch lengths, leaves cut into 1-inch ribbons
1/2 cup chicken or veggie stock (see page 85)

Steps:

Bring a medium pot of super-salty water to a boil. How do you know if it's super-salty? TASTE IT! Toss in the baby turnips, let the water come back to a boil, and cook until fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the turnips and let cool.
When the turnips are cool enough to handle, use a clean kitchen towel to rub the skin off. Cut into quarters and reserve.
Coat a large sauté pan lightly with olive oil, add the pancetta, garlic, and red pepper, and bring to medium-high heat. When the garlic has turned a lovely golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, remove it from the pan and ditch it-it has fulfilled its garlic destiny!
When the pancetta becomes brown and crispy, add the turnips, chard stems, and stock and cook until the stock has mostly evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the chard leaves and sauté until just wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Pancetta- and Sesame-Coated Turnips image

Provided by Dan Barber

Yield Makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 5

16 very thin pancetta slices (Italian bacon; about one 3-ounce package)
2 large turnips (each about 8 ounces), peeled, each cut into 8 wedges
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups sesame seeds (about 71/2 ounces)
Vegetable oil (for deep-frying)

Steps:

Wrap 1 pancetta slice around 1 turnip wedge, covering most of turnip. Repeat with remaining pancetta slices and turnip wedges.
Line rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper. Whisk egg in medium bowl to blend and place sesame seeds in another medium bowl. Dip each pancetta-wrapped turnip wedge into beaten egg to coat, then dip into sesame seeds, turning to coat generously on all sides. Place on prepared baking sheet. DO AHEAD: Turnips can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour enough vegetable oil into heavy medium saucepan to reach depth of 2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometer to side of pan and heat oil to 350°F. Working in batches, add sesame-coated turnip wedges to oil, and deep-fry until sesame seeds are golden, about 1 minute (turnips will be very crunchy). Transfer turnips to paper towels to drain. Arrange turnips on rimmed baking sheet and bake just until turnips are beginning to soften, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.