Turnips

• 1.5 lbs turnips, thinly sliced
• 4 TBLS butter
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add turnips and stir to coat. Add water, cover the pan, and turn heat down to maintain a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes until tender. Remove lid, add balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 more minutes until vinegar forms a thick saucy glaze on the turnips. Serve hot.

• 1 ½ TBLS mustard seeds
• 3 TBLS cooking oil of choice
• 1 ½ -2 cups turnips, peeled and diced
• 1 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt, to taste

Heat a large skillet on medium. Add mustard seeds and toast 1 minute, stirring. Add cooking oil. When hot, add turnips and cabbage. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Mix in vinegar and stock. Bring to a simmer and braise, covered, until veggies are tender, about 25 minutes. Season to taste.

This is a great, basic way to serve turnips as a sweet side dish that can balance their mild bitterness. 

2 lbs turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
salt to taste
2-4 tablespoons butter
sweetener of your choice, like maple syrup, honey, etc. (about 1/3 cup or to taste)

In a skillet, combine turnips and salt with enough water to barely cover.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer until turnips are just tender, about 10 minutes or less.  Drain, remove turnips and dry the skillet.  Reheat skillet on high, add butter and sweetener and boil until mixture has turned amber colored, about 2 minutes.  Add turnips and cook until well coated with the sweet glaze, about 5 minutes.  Make sure to stir frequently to prevent sticking.  Serve hot.

This recipe is perfect in a cast iron fry pan!  If you don't have one, use your heaviest bottomed pan and watch carefully.  You might need to stir/add more oil more frequently to prevent sticking.  Either way, this is quite delish!

4+ tablespoons olive oil
¾ pound turnips, unpeeled, cut into ½ inch dice
¾ pound potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½ inch dice
¾ pound carrots, peeled, cut into ½ inch dice
Salt and pepper to taste
Thyme to taste (approx 1 tsp dried)
½ pound onion, chopped

In heavy bottomed skilled, heat olive oil on medium.  Add all ingredients except onions and sauté at a gentle sizzle, stirring for about 15-20 minutes.  Try not to brown too quickly, reduce heat if necessary, &/or add more oil.  Add onions and continue to cook as above until veggies are tender and deep brown.

This is a basic recipe that can have anything else you have on hand added to it if you like.  My most recent version used purple carrots (which turned the whole soup purple!) and I added garlic and celeriac to it, also.  I love this kind of soup because it's so adaptable!

2 tablespoons butter or oil
1 medium onion, or two large shallots
3 cups turnips, peeled and chopped
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
4+ cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup to 1 cup cream or milk

Over medium heat, saute onion gently in oil until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.  Add turnips, carrots, and broth.  Bring to boil and simmer until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.  Puree and then add cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. 
 

• 1 lb turnips, peeled & chopped
• 1 TBLS butter
• Salt & pepper to taste
• ½ tsp flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 egg, seperated

Boil turnips in water until soft. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350. Mash the turnips and add butter, salt, pepper, flour, and sugar. Beat egg yolk and add to turnip mixture. Beat egg white until stiff and fold into turnip mixture. Pour into a small greased casserole and bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned. 

• 2 cups water
• 3 TBLS salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 2/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 ¼ lbs turnips, peeled, cut into ½” sticks
• 1 small beet, cut into ½” sticks
• 1-2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Heat water, salt, and bay leaf in a pot over medium heat until salt dissolves, 3-5 min. Cool completely and add vinegar. Combine all ingredients in a container with tight fitting lid and sit at room temp for 3-5 days. Refrigerate and serve for up to a month. 

We added diced chicken to this and served it over rice with a dollop of plain yogurt on top.  Soooo good!  Great way to spice up plain turnips for those who are not big fans.

2-3 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup shallots (or onions), sliced
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
1 pound turnips, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 +/- teaspoon cayenne powder (to taste)
1 cup chicken broth

Heat oil in large skillet.  Add shallots and carrots and saute until beginning to soften, about 5-7 minutes, stirring.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to mix the flavors around.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook covered until turnips are tender, about 20 minutes.  Check salt and serve hot!

Garnish, garnish, garnish! That is what my family is obsessed with. So, if you are too, you could garnish this soup with: sour cream, cilantro, chives, crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese, and many more options. If not, just make it plain. You won't be dissapointed.

Cooking oil
1-2 cups onion, chopped
garlic to taste, minced
1-2 TBLS tomato paste
salt, pepper, ground cumin, chili/cayenne powder to taste
6-8 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or a combo of broth and water)
1 cup red lentils
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup turnips, peeled and diced
lemon juice to taste

In large pot, sauté onion in oil until translucent. Add garlic, tomato paste, and spices. Stir quickly, 1 min. Add the rest of the ingredients (except lemon juice). Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until everything is very tender. Add lemon juice at the end. Check salt.
 

Other root veggies or cabbage or garlic or onions or anything else(!) can be added to this basic recipe to make a tasty and interesting medley.  Roasted vegetables are always sweeter than raw because the dry heat concentrates their innate sugars.

turnips, peeled and coarsley chopped or cut into wedges
olive oil
salt and pepper
dried thyme

Toss turnips with other ingredients.  Lay on a greased baking sheet and roast in the oven at 375 until tender and browned, about 45 minutes.

1 cup yogurt, plain
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds turnips, peeled, and cut into 1.5” chunks
3 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
8 oz can of tomatoes in their juice
1/8 – ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Pierce turnip chunks with fork & marinate in yogurt for 8 hours, in fridge.  Drain, reserving yogurt.  Stir-fry turnips over high heat in oil until browned, about 5 min.  Remove turnips and reduce heat to medium.  Stir-fry cumin seeds and shallots for 2 min.  Add tomatoes, cayenne, turnips and reserved yogurt.  Bring to boil, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 min.  Uncover, lower heat to keep from sticking and boil all the yogurt-tomato mixture away forming a sauce.

Availability: October-March

Storage tips: Refrigerate in a plastic bag for at least a few weeks.

How to eat: Turnips are a great winter storage vegetable. We like to boil and mash them with butter or use them in stews and soups.