Recipes
Turnips
Turnip Info: Baby ‘salad’ turnips can be eaten raw. Slice them into salads. Or you can quickly steam, boil, roast or sauté them. Add to soups/stews, stir fries, or mashed potatoes. Large regular turnips are best cooked in one of the above ways. Roasting is my favorite!
Titles on this page, in order. Scroll down to find the recipe you're interested in:
Garlic-Mashed Turnips and Potatoes, Glazed Turnips, Sauteed Turnips with Spinach, Farmer's Turnip and Pear Salad, Roasted Turnips in Wine, Turnip Beef Soup, Diced Carrots and Turnips, Turnip Risotto
Garlic-mashed turnips and potatoes
1 lb turnips, peeled and diced
1 lb potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sour cream or plain yogurt
Salt and pepper, to taste
Boil turnips, potatoes, and garlic for 10 minutes in pot of salted water, until the vegetables are tender. Drain.
Put vegetables through a food mill or ricer. Beat in the butter and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Glazed turnips
3 large turnips, peeled and diced
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
Blanch turnips 5 minutes in boiling salted water; drain. (Do not cook till tender.)
Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add turnips and sugar. Cook and stir constantly until turnips become golden. Serve hot.
Sautéed turnips with spinach
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 medium turnips, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 c raisins
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
10 oz fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Freshly ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, turnip and raisins; cook about 1 minute.
Add lemon juice; cover and cook 3 minutes at medium heat.
Stir in the spinach and cook just until wilted. Sprinkle with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Farmer’s Turnip and Pear Salad
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 T. cider vinegar
4 t. sugar
½ t. salt
¼ t. Dijon mustard
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/3 t. paprika
1 t. lemon juice
2 large, firm, ripe pears
4 or 5 medium turnips
1 large head Romaine lettuce
Combine all dressing ingredients.
Quarter, core, and cube pears, then add them to the dressing.
Peel turnips and coarsely shred them (you should have about 2 cups), then add them to the dressing.
Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and add it to the dressing.
Toss well and serve.
Roasted Turnips in Wine
1 bunch turnips, peeled and cubed
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons butter
Place turnips in saucepan; add remaining ingredients and enough water to barely cover. (You may also add other root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, etc.) Simmer until tender. Pour into baking dish and bake at 350 degrees 1/2 hour. Serve with rice or chicken. 2-3 servings.
Turnip Beef Soup
1/2 lb. beef sirloin or beef stew pieces
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cups beef or chicken broth
1 cup Beer or ale
1/4 cup barley, rinsed and drained OR Brown Rice
2-3 Turnips, peeled and cut into small cubes
1-3 leeks or onions, chopped
2 Carrots, scrubbed & cut into small cubes
1 stalk celery, diced OR chopped cutting celery , chopped!
parsley, chopped
Fresh or dried thyme
S & P to taste
Trim away all visible fat from beef and cut into small cubes. Heat oil in a large saucepan; add beef and cook over medium heat to brown on all sides. Add remaining ingredients to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1½ hours. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Diced Carrots and Turnips
2 pounds carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 tablespoons butter
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the carrots for 3 minutes, add the turnips, and boil the
vegetables for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the vegetables and transfer them to a
serving dish. Add the butter, cut into bits, the nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and toss the
mixture until the butter is melted.
Turnip Risotto
3 bacon slices
1 small onion
2 medium turnips (preferably with greens; about 1/2 pound total)
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup Arborio rice
Garnish: freshly grated Parmesan
In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp and golden and transfer with a
slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon fat in pan. Chop onion. Peel turnips and
cut into 1/4-inch dice (if using greens, cut into 1/4-inch-wide slices and chop stems). In a saucepan
bring broth to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.
Heat reserved fat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sautŽ onion, stirring, until
just beginning to soften. Stir in turnips (and greens if using) and rice and sautŽ, stirring constantly, 1
minute. Stir in 1 cup simmering broth and cook, stirring constantly and keeping at a strong simmer,
until absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and
letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still
al dente, about 18 minutes total.
Crumble bacon. Serve risotto sprinkled with bacon and garnished with Parmesan.