Posted on October 4, 2009 - by Ashley Jackson

Neeps and Mash

Today was a beautiful fall day in North Carolina, but I chose to spend it inside cooking. I could’ve at least cracked open a window or something…

For breakfast, I made a little sammich–salami, Asiago cheese, a tiny slice of onion that still dominated the sandwich, tomato, and Penzey’s sandwich sprinkle.

And then I started on some pinto beans. I used the “quick” method to soak them, where you bring them to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes, and then let them sit for an hour. After the hour I put them back on the heat and made some shrimp stir-fry from Trader Joe’s.

This was great–although I’ve never eaten anything with chopsticks that wasn’t great. I love how Trader Joe’s packages their frozen food–the veggies were loose in the bag, the shrimp were in a separate bag within the bag, and the seasoning was in its own packet. I was able to use exactly half of the shrimp, half of the veggies, and half of the seasoning packet, then throw the rest back in the freezer.

Later, while the beans were still cooking, I decided to take the plunge and use one of the turnips I bought Friday. I boiled one turnip, four white potatoes, and a carrot, then mashed them up with some Greek yogurt, garlic, salt, and pepper. I had a little sample glass to test how well it turned out…

The verdict? Pretty good. You can taste the turnips but they aren’t overwhelming, like when I tried to cook with them last year.

After the beans were done, I smooshed some of them up and dumped them into the pot to thicken up the juice a little, then spooned some back out to try.

Much better than the last time I tried to make pinto beans! My beans had onions, “side meat,” Ozark seasoning, and butter in them. I’m salting this individually…

For dinner, I made a meal out of what I’d been cooking throughout the day…

Mashed veggies, pinto beans, and a pear. I went back for another bowl of beans ’cause they were so good.

I had to do some adjustments on the dinner picture, because it’s the time of year where the afternoon light starts hitting my apartment too early for dinner…and in any case, there were Victorian manor houses that were better lit than my apartment…