Turnip

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Kevin86

Senior Cook
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
444
Location
Ontario
Hey everybody

So turnip is pretty popular here and while I don’t mind it but it was never a favourite go to.

I use it as an ingredient like chopped into a soup or in a roast veg mix, etc.

But what is your go to that makes turnip the rockstar veg?
 
we use both the greens and the root , just strip the leaves off the stalk chop them up and then peel the roots and dice them and add them to the pot with the leaves fill the pot about 1/2 way with water and boil for an hour or until tender , my wife adds garlic and onion powder as well as salt ...diced ham can also be added to them
 
I really like them roasted with other root veggies.
That's my go to method for turnips too.

Like S&P, I like them as an ingredient in soups and stews. I have seen recipes that cook them with potatoes or potatoes and some other root veggie(s) and make a mash of the whole thing. I have been meaning to try that.

I almost never find turnips with the greens. I have cooked them once or twice. I use my pretty standard cooking method for leafy greens. That's to sauté them in EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) or bacon fat with a bit of garlic until they are completely wilted. Sometimes I chop up some bacon and fry that first, remove the bacon and cook the greens and garlic in that bacon fat and then sprinkle the bacon pieces over the top at the end.
 
I like turnip greens and grow them at times.
I consider the turnip itself as cattle feed. Sorry ;)
 
I like turnip greens and grow them at times.
I consider the turnip itself as cattle feed. Sorry ;)
I think most Danes think of turnips as animal fodder too. I know there was a famine in parts of Denmark during WWI. The locals had to survive on "roer" (roots, generally beets, rutabagas, turnips) and not much more. They still have a bad reputation in the southern part of Jylland (Jutland in English), the peninsula that borders Germany.
 
I never liked turnips before, nor did my husband. Our mothers boiled turnips until they were brown, and the smell alone was enough to make you gag.
However, I planted turnips one year since the "greens" are popular in these parts and were a favorite at the food pantry. We found we liked thinly sliced young turnips raw in green salads. From that we progressed to roasted turnips and carrots. They are still not a regular part of our diet, but if you don't like turnips try them raw in salads.
 
Roasted!!

Roasted Root Vegetables
1 or 2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half lengthwise & cut into ½-inch slices
1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch slices
1 or 2 turnips, peeled, cut in half & then cut into ½-inch slices
2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil (plain or infused)
1-1/2 tablespoons honey
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I like black cherry)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme OR 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper (OR LESS, to taste)
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine all the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine balance of ingredients in a small container, whisk to combine, pour over veggies in bowl; toss to coat. Spread veggies in a single layer on a sheet pan (use foil or parchment to make easier cleanup.)

Roast veggies for 1 hour or until veggies are tender, stirring once halfway through cooking time.

Original recipe says it serves 4, but your mileage may vary!
 
I'm not a big fan of the standard purple garden turnip. I'll eat them but they aren't my favorite.

I really love these small white Japanese turnips I see in stores and farm markets every spring. I think they are called Hakurei. Seems like they are only available for about a month, and then they disappear.

I love them roasted and tossed with a little butter and salt. They are mild in flavor and delicious.

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I'm not a big fan of the standard purple garden turnip. I'll eat them but they aren't my favorite.

I really love these small white Japanese turnips I see in stores and farm markets every spring. I think they are called Hakurei. Seems like they are only available for about a month, and then they disappear.

I love them roasted and tossed with a little butter and salt. They are mild in flavor and delicious.

View attachment 72463
So, you would recommend these, eh? I see them sometimes on the website where I order stuff for my produce basket. Maybe I'll buy some the next time I see them there.
 
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I think most Danes think of turnips as animal fodder too. I know there was a famine in parts of Denmark during WWI. The locals had to survive on "roer" (roots, generally beets, rutabagas, turnips) and not much more. They still have a bad reputation in the southern part of Jylland (Jutland in English), the peninsula that borders Germany.
Sometimes I find it funny that the few things that were there to get you through the toughest times when you needed them the most turn out to be disliked because of the reminder of the times instead of favouring them as the unsung heroes that kept your family going.

Our minds are funny things
 
Thanks for the posts and chats on this everybody.

I use it as an ingredient then roasted. I know mashed with brown sugar mixed in isn’t bad either. Sliced thinly and roasted like mentioned instead of boil like our moms did is a growth I learned first with beets as well.

I still haven’t justified making a turnip soup yet. But one day
 
i think you hit the nail on the head
so of the best turnips i ever ate was at a little mom and pop café and they mixed mustard greens in with them
 
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Sometimes I find it funny that the few things that were there to get you through the toughest times when you needed them the most turn out to be disliked because of the reminder of the times instead of favouring them as the unsung heroes that kept your family going.

Our minds are funny things
Sometimes it's because you ate so much of it that you are seriously tired of it. When I lived in a log cabin in the late 1970s - early '80s, we were very broke. All winter, we ate snowshoe hare that my ex-husband caught on a snare line. We traded bunnies for veggies from friends who grew veg. Snowshoe hare is a very lean, very tasty meat. But, as just about the only meat we got in winter, we did get tired of it. Very, very tired of it. I haven't had any since then.
 
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