In December we were working in a restaurant and were told that we would close. The owner would put his other business there. We had been out of work for almost four months.
We were living on savings and trying to go as long as possible without working. We finally gave in and applied to a couple of vegan restaurants. We did not receive a response.
After two weeks of waiting I found the nerve to ask my recent former boss, if he needed us for any of his restaurants.
He is somewhat of a celebrity chef in the Montreal vegan scene. His main successful restaurant is vegan sushi.
He seemed to be positive about potentially hiring us and took our number. After two weeks we didn't hear from him. We were certain it was not going to happen.
Last Friday out of desperation, as our funds are slipping faster, we decided to go to another former restaurant and see if they would take us back. We were pretty sure they would. We got our coats on and got ready to walk out the door.
We were interrupted by a sudden phone call. It was the recently former boss. We were in shock at how life works. Saved by the bell. We went across the street to meet with him and he said "tommorrow!"
We started at his sushi restaurant the next day. I was terrified. Meeting new people and all of them really young. I wondered how they would feel when a 60 year old and a 45 year old comes to join them.
This menu is challenging with many ingredients in each dish but it will be alright.
Meanwhile we have no idea when we will get paid so for dinner I decided not to buy anything, and use the items that are in the fridge. On my first day of work, a girl asked if I wanted a bunch of green onion stems. I gladly took them. I used them for this demi glace. Using scraps of veggies in your fridge can make a nice almost beef like gravy.
One vegetable that I think is overlooked is turnip. Perhaps in some parts of the world it would be more popular. Turnips are a cold climate plant, therefore may be less popular in tropical places. I'm not sure though.
Most of my life I've thought that turnip was the vegetable called rutabaga. Most of us called it turnip. Apparently the rutabaga is a cross between cabbage and turnip.
Now that I know that, I realize I've never actually had turnip. Turnips are smaller, white with a little pink on them.
I have had rutabaga only a few times as a side dish, usually mashed. It always accompanied a roast of some kind and was smothered in gravy. There is a strong taste to it that may not appeal to many people. I did enjoy it as a side.
It turns out, that these turnips were the first ones I've ever had. I expected them to taste much like the rutabaga, but much to my surprise it was quite mild and sweeter. I really like it.
This is a simple preparation, with few ingredients, but comforting and tasty.
The demi glace sauce has more ingredients and takes more time but also simple. Without the sauce, it's still enjoyable as an appetizer or starter.
Stuffed turnips
700g turnip
350g oyster mushrooms (This is all I had for mushrooms)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
Handful of dill or other fresh herbs (optional)
Cut the ends off the turnip, then peel.
Save the ends and the peel for the demi glace preparation to folllow
Cut the turnip in half making it flat on the bottom. With a melon baller, or small spoon, carve out the turnip.
Put the scooped out part of the turnip in the food processor or chop fine by hand.
Chop until the pieces are small but not too fine.
Simply saute in oil and butter. If you don't want to use fat, just use a little water or broth. I wanted the richness of the fats. Cook on medium until tender. Don't let it get mushy. It will further cook in the oven.
The turnip shell can be blanched in boiling water for around 5 minutes, then removed and placed on a pan for baking.
Save the water after removing the turnip.
The stuffing will be the turnip saute plus mushroom and onion saute. I would have used shallots but I didn't have any. I wanted to keep to the items I had.
Saute onions, garlic in oil and butter on medium high. Add salt and pepper.
When this is caramelized add wine, or balsamic vinegar. I used red wine that I had leftover from another day. I would have preferred white for this but it was still fine.
When the onions and garlic are cooked through and slightly golden, add the mushrooms.
The mushroom should be cooked on medium low until the water has completely disappeared.
Combine cooked turnip and mushroom mixtures.
I decided to add dill since I had quite a bit that should be used. You could use any fresh or dry herbs or just salt and pepper. Season the mixture further if necessary.
Stuff the blanched turnips with the filling, packing it down.
I had bread ends in the freezer, that I took out and milled in the blender. I didn't bother toasting it. The freezer made it easy to grind.
Evenly cover each turnip with the crumbs. Add a little water to the pan, and keep adding if it drys before it's done. Bake in the oven on 400F. After 10 minutes check to see if the turnips are softer. Don't let them get to mushy. Put a knife through them and see how the bottom is.
The demi glace was made the day before.
For the demi glace, I take vegetable scraps including the turnip, peels and put them in a pan, lightly coated with oil.
I used leeks, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, turnip scraps, cauliflower, dill stems, and green onion scraps. I would have used peppers and tomatoes if I had them but this was a perfect start.
The recipe is approximate. You can just fill a baking tray with whatever you have.
Vegan demi glace
Vegetables roasted
2 litres of water
1 tablespoon mushroom sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fermented black bean sauce
1 teaspoon agave or sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon vegan butter
1/8 cup wine or 1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
Heat the oven to 400F and put the tray of scraps in, turning with a large spoon, periodically to evenly cook. It took around 30 to 40 minutes. Make sure they don't burn or the flavor will be bitter.
Add the roasted scraps to the turnip water. Add more water if it isn't covered.
Add fresh parsley, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for an hour or more.
Pour the broth into the colander to strain. Press down and make sure you get every drop.
Put the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to get out any pieces.
Add broth back to a pot. Add mushroom sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, vegan butter, balsamic or wine, agave and more salt and pepper if necessary.
Simmer and reduce for around 30 to 40 minutes. It will be less watery like a gravy or a jus. Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste.
Keep in mind that when it reduces, it will get saltier. I don't mind that. I would just add a little water and/or flour or cream to make a gravy. You can also use a small amount with water as a vegetable broth in a soup. This can also be used as a vegetable broth as is without reducing too much.
To serve I made lentils and rice with no seasonings. The sauce would serve as the taste.
I could have made potato, sweet potato, or just an appetizer on it's own. I used what I had. If I had bread, I may have toasted that to dip in the sauce.
This would be an appetizer generally, but it was enough for us as a full meal. We had more.
Even though it turns out, that I've never had turnip before, it did taste familiar, but different. I find that it's a sophisticated vegetable.
This can go into any cultural direction. I will be consuming this root much more.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Photos taken with a Nikon D7500 by me, except for the ones of me taken by my other half