Recipe: Lavender Turnips, Sunchokes and Bacon

Makes 4 servings

4 strips bacon or pancetta, thinly sliced

4 sunchokes, peeled, diced small and placed in water

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

8 baby turnips, trimmed of greens, quartered

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon dried lavender, pulverized

3 tablespoons white wine

1. Cook bacon or pancetta until crispy, reserve fat, crumble and set aside.

2. In a small skillet, heat bacon fat, remove sunchokes from the water, dry and add to pan, along with salt and pepper. Cook until caramelized, remove sunchokes from pan, set aside. Add turnips to the pan and cook over medium heat until soft. Turn up the heat and add honey, lavender and white wine. Cook until liquid is gone and turnips are glazed and starting to caramelize. Toss in sunchokes and crumbled bacon, heat for 1 minute. Serve warm.

Cook's Note: When trimming baby turnips, leave about an inch of the green stems attached, for a nice presentation; simply clean the area right around the tops with the top of a peeler or sturdy vegetable brush. There is no need to peel good quality baby turnips for this dish. If the turnips are not at their freshest, then peel them down to the tender flesh.

Variations: Substitute Brussels sprouts for turnips, nutmeg for the lavender.

From Kären Jurgensen, Seattle Culinary Academy

at Seattle Central Community College