by Jay Hiller, September 9, 2022
“Is that your turnip stuff?” my husband asked. When I confirmed that I was indeed eating turnips, he made a face. A lot of people feel that way about turnips. I think they’re worth giving another try if you haven’t lately. (And you should especially give them another try if you happen to be married to me.)
The first time I remember having turnips they were whipped with heavy cream and butter, so I thought, probably correctly that what I liked was the heavy cream and butter. But they’re tasty prepared in other ways. I’ve diced them and added them to homemade soup with leeks and potatoes. In a pressure cooker, it’s 3 minutes at high pressure to get mashable turnips with dairy or nondairy milk, salt and pepper. You can also eat them raw. (They taste a little bit like a radish and I prefer them cooked.)
You can’t read too much about turnips
In her book, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (1997 Broadway Books), Deborah Madison recommends shopping for small fresh turnips with smooth skins. According to the google machine the greens are a great source of vitamin k. The turnips I bought at the grocery store this week probably fall into the category of storage turnips. They were easy to peel and cooked up nicely anyway. With many nutritionists recommending that we eat between 30-40 plant based foods a week for the health of our microbiome, the inexpensive, nutritious and versatile turnip is a good addition to any diet.
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