Miso-Glazed Turnips and Black Sesame Soba Noodles

For Creamy Black Sesame Dressing:

1/4 cup black sesame seeds

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

2 tablespoons rice wine or apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1-3 tablespoons water

For Miso-Glazed Turnips:

2 teaspoon miso paste

1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinagar

2 tablespoons butter or ghee

1 bunch of baby turnips, halved, or regular medium-sized turnips, cut into bite-sized pieces

A few large handfuls of turnip greens (stems removed), spinach, chard, bok choy, or your choice of greens, chopped

1 package (3-ish servings) of soba noodles, cooked according to package instructions.

Thinly sliced spring onions and sesame seeds, for garnish

Make dressing:

Add the sesame seeds to the bowl of a food processor and grind into a paste.  Add the remaining dressing ingredients, except for water, and process for about 3 minutes or until creamy.  Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin, if necessary.  Taste and adjust with extra soy sauce or sweetener, if necessary.

Make turnips:

Whisk the miso, honey, and vinegar, together and set aside.

In a cast iron skillet, warm the butter or ghee and lay the turnips in it (cut-side-down, if using baby turnips).  Cook for a few minutes on medium heat, until they're just starting to brown, taking care not to burn the butter.  Toss the turnips and cook for another minute or two.

Add the miso mix to the turnips and toss for another minute (they will sizzle), until the liquid thickens and the turnips are slightly cooked (but not mushy) and nicely glazed.

Remove the turnips from the skillet, return skillet to heat, and add freshly washed and chopped greens. Some water on the greens helps with the wilting process, so it's good to wash them right before cooking.

Cover the skillet, remove from heat, and let it sit for a few minutes until the greens are wilted. Toss with any remaining miso sauce in the skillet.

Toss the soba noodles with all of the dressing and thin with a little bit of water, if necessary to get a creamy consistency.  Top with wilted greens, turnips, and garnishes.

From Honest Cooking website, recipe by Sofia Eydelman