Community Cookbook: Cecily’s Tokyo Turnips and Kohlrabi Salad

Greenpoint’s Cecily (80 Franklin St.) recently opened in the space that used to be home to IRL Gallery with a seasonal and sustainably-focused menu from Executive Chef Zach Frieling, previously of The Four Horsemen (295 Grand St.).

Chef Frieling has shared his recipe for Tokyo Turnips, one of the signature dishes currently featured on the restaurant’s veggie-forward menu. The turnips are served with kohlrabi salad, creme fraiche, and chili flakes.

Learn how to make Cecily’s Tokyo Turnips and Kohlrabi Salad below and find last week’s Community Cookbook recipe here.

Cecily’s Tokyo Turnips and Kohlrabi Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 bunches of turnips with greens

1 medium kohlrabi

1 bunch of parsley

1 bunch of chives

8 ounces of creme fraiche

1 lemon, juiced

Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

Chili flakes, to taste

Salt, to taste

Directions

The most important and longest part of this recipe is cleaning the vegetables. 

1. Start with cleaning the turnips. Cut the top of the turnips off but leave about ½” of the stem attached to the bulb. Pick the stem off just up to the leaf. 
2. Give the leaves a wash and then dry them. (NOTE: a salad spinner and paper towel come in handy here.) 
3. Scrub the turnips and get as much dirt off as possible. You can peel them if you want, but you’ll get more waste this way.
4. Pick the parsley, leaving a little of the stem. 
5. Give the parsley a wash and pat dry.
6. Cut the chives so that they are 2 inches in length. 
7. Give the chives a wash and pat dry.

The next part is the cutting. You will need a mandoline for this or a sharp knife. 

8. Using the mandoline, slice the turnips about ⅛ inch thick. 
9. Once they are all cut, place in an ice bath for about 2-3 mins. (This is going to crisp them up.)
10. Pull them out and dry them off. Place them in the fridge to keep chilled.
11. Peel the kohlrabi with a vegetable peeler until it’s completely white. (You don’t want to leave behind any of the green because it’s a little bitter.)
12. Cut the kohlrabi into a half moon. Slice, shock, and dry to the same size as the turnips.

Now that everything is ready to go, it’s time to build the salad. 

13. Place the sliced turnips and kohlrabi in a mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt, pinch of chili flake, 1/3rd of the lemon juice and a good splash of olive oil. 
14. Toss together and then taste for seasoning. (It should be bright and a little salty.)
15. Add the parsley, chives, and turnip tops into the mix. (If the turnip tops are too big cut them to bite size pieces.)
16. Add half of the creme fraiche and mix. 
17. Add more creme fraiche until everything is nicely coated. 
18. Garnish with chili flakes.