Turnips

Turnip Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
From Martha Stewart Vegetables
Serves 4

2 bunches turnips, trimmed, greens reserved, turnips cut into wedges
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
4 cups salad greens
2 slices bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Toss turnips wedges with oil and ½ teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast, tossing after 15 minutes, until golden brown and tender, about 35 minutes.


Whisk together vinegar, mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

Wash turnip greens well, and tear into 3-inch pieces.  Toss greens with salad.

About 5 minutes before turnips are finished roasting, heat a small high-sided skillet over medium high.  Add bacon and cook, stirring, until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes.  Add shallot and cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar mixture.  Fold warm bacon vinaigrette into greens.  Transfer to a platter; top with roasted turnips and pecans.
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Turnips with White Miso Butter
From Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison

1 pound baby white turnips
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet until fragrant
3 green onions, white parts plus an inch of the greens
Sea salt

Trim the turnips and peel neatly with a pairing knife.  Section them into quarters or sixths. 
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Melt a tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the mirin, then the turnips and cook, allowing them to color, for several minutes.

While the turnips are cooking, stir together the miso and the remaining butter.  When the turnips are tender, add this mixture and allow it to bubble up, coat the turnips, and just heat through.  Transfer to a serving dish, finish with the sesame seeds and green onions, and serve.  The dish probably won’t need salt, taste to be sure.

Turnip Chips
From Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson

“These are the least perfect chips you’ll ever make.  They never quite crisp up entirely, have a tendency to go from barely baked to burned in a blink, and they shrink in size, leaving you with half the chips you thought you’d get out of the batch.  But their roasted buttery sweetness make them too good not to include here.  Spritzed with lime and sprinkled with a bit of smoked paprika, they’re even better.”

4 medium turnips, well scrubbed
3 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butter
¼ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
A couple pinches of smoked paprika
Squeeze of lime
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with two racks set in the middle of the oven.
Using a mandolin or by hand, slice the turnips into uniform slices, none any thicker than two credit cards stacked on top of one another.  If you are slicing by hand, cut the turnip in half and rest each half cut side down so they don’t roll around; this makes for easier slicing.  Toss the slices in a large bowl with the olive oil and salt and arrange in a single layer on two baking sheets.
Bake for 12 minutes, check, and then continue to bake until the chips are deeply golden.  It usually takes somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the slices.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a light dusting of paprika and a small spritz of lime juice, and toss gently.  The chips crisp up a bit as they cool, but I like them best warm.

Glazed Turnips with Brown Butter and Sherry Vinegar
From Root to Leaf by Steven Satterfield

1 bunch white turnips
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more if needed
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

Trim off the tops from the turnips and reserve for another use.  Wash and trim the turnips roots.  Slice them in half if small, or quarter them if large, and set aside.

In a wide skillet over medium-low heat, cook the butter until foamy.  When the foam subsides, watch closely as the bits of milk solids on the bottom of the pan begin to brown.  When lightly browned, immediately remove the skillet from the heat and set it on a cool surface to stop the cooking.
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Add 2 tbsp. vinegar to the browned butter and return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat.  When the mixture begins to sizzle, add the turnips and season with salt.  Keep the turnips moving either with tongs or by shaking the pan so that they cook evenly on all sides.  When they begin to brown and the sauce is reduced to a glaze, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.  If the butter separates, just add a splash of vinegar, and it should come back together.

​Oven Roasted Carrots and Turnips
From Chez Panisse Vegetables
4 medium carrots
6 medium turnips
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare the carrots and turnips so they are about the same size and shape.  First peel and trim the carrots.  If you have medium carrots, cut them in 1/8-inch slices on the diagonal. 
Cut the turnips lengthwise in halves or quarters, leaving about ¼ inch of their tops attached.
In a large bowl, toss the carrots and turnips together with the olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.  Spread the vegetables evenly in a baking pan in a single layer, and roast, uncovered, stirring and tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked through, for 20 to 45 minutes.
Serve as a side dish with roasted meats or chicken, or on top of creamy polenta for a hearty vegetarian meal, sprinkled with fresh chopped herbs.
Serves 4 to 6

Roasted Turnips with Brown Butter Vinaigrette and Marjoram
From A Boat, A Whale, and A Walrus by Renee Erickson
“If your turnips come with bright, fresh greens, trim and wash them, and add them to the pan when you put the pan in the oven.”

1 bunch baby turnips, halved, greens trimmed and saved
1 ½ tsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp whole marjoram leaves
2 tbsp. Brown Butter Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the halved turnips and cook, submerge, for 30 seconds, then drain the turnips and transfer them to a bowl of ice water. When the turnips have cooled completely, drain them and pat them dry on paper towels.
Heat a large ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil, then the turnips, placing as many cut side down as you can, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until they are nicely browned. Carefully turn the turnips over and sprinkle them with the salt and marjoram leaves. Add the vinaigrette and lemon juice to the pan, transfer the pan to the middle rack of the oven, and roast for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until the turnips are tender. Serve warm.

Brown Butter Vinaigrette
“Kept in the refrigerator, it becomes a staple; you can use it wherever you’d use regular butter.”

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ small shallot, chopped
Julienned peel of a quarter of a preserved lemon
½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt
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Place the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over high heat. When it melts, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the butter foams, then the foam disappears and the butter begins to brown on the bottom of the pan, about 15 minutes. (You want the tasty bits on the bottom of the pan to be a lovely brown color, but not black.) Pour the butter through a fine-mesh strainer and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes.
In the work bowl of a food processor or heavy-duty blender, whirl the shallot and the lemon peel and juice until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the butter through the top of the machine, and process until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt. Use warm or at room temperature. To store, let the butter cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it, covered, for up to 3 weeks.

Pickled Turnips with Dill and Garlic
From goop.com

6-8 large turnips, peeled and quartered
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch dill, smashed slightly by hand
8 cloves garlic, smashed
4 Serrano chilis, roughly chopped
ground black pepper, to taste (we used about ½ teaspoon)
fennel seed, to taste (we used about 2 teaspoons)
árbol chili, to taste (we used about 1 teaspoon)
To make the pickle, place prepared turnips and remaining ingredients in a large glass or ceramic jar (you might need a couple).
Next, make the brine; remember that you need enough brine to completely cover the vegetable, so amounts will vary depending on how big your turnips are. To make the brine, simply whisk 1 tablespoon of kosher salt into every 1 cup of water needed. Pour the brine over the turnips, top with a small plate or ceramic weight to keep the vegetables submerged, cover with a lid, and let sit in at room temperature (ideally between 60°F and 68°F) for at least 1 week and up to 3 weeks.
When the turnips are done fermenting, enjoy straight from the jar or chop into salads, beef tartare, or mayonnaise-based sauces like remoulade or tartar sauce. We like to cook them briefly with mushrooms and serve over charred pork shoulder steaks.

Miso Turnips
From It’s All Easy by Gwyneth Paltrow
Serves 4

1 bunch white turnips, small ones left whole and larger ones cut in half, or regular turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Olive oil
Salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the turnips with olive oil and salt on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt together the butter, miso, and maple syrup over medium heat.
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Coat the turnips with the miso mixture and broil until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, if desired.

​Dates, Turnips, and Bacon with Gorgonzola Dressing
​From Shaya by Alon Shaya
Serves 4 to 6

2 ½ pounds turnips, peeled
½ pound thickly sliced bacon
1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
12 Medjool dates, pitted and quartered
2 ounces Gorgonzola Dolce
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons orange juice
¼ cup lightly packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Heat the oven to 425 degrees with a rack in the center of the oven, and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment.
Trim the roots and tips off the turnips, and cut them into ½-inch-to-1-inch pieces. Chop the bacon into roughly 1-inch pieces, break it apart to disperse it with the turnips, and toss to coat with the salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread the mix over the baking sheet, tuck the rosemary in the middle, and roast for 20 minutes.
Scatter the dates among the bacon and turnips, and give it all a good stir so the bacon fat is shared around. Roast for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the turnips are tender but not mushy.

​Leek, Turnip, and Rice Soup
From Martha Rose Shulman via https://cooking.nytimes.com
Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and sliced
1 pound turnips, cut in 1/2-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 quarts vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
Salt to taste
1 bay leaf
½ cup rice, preferably Arborio
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan for serving (optional)
Garlic croutons for serving (optional)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the leeks. Cook, stirring often, until leeks are beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the turnips and continue to cook, stirring often, until the turnips are translucent and the leeks thoroughly tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the stock or water, salt, bay leaf and rice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. If serving as is, add pepper, stir in the parsley and serve, over croutons if desired, passing Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.
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Traditional Turnip Greens
From Root to Leaf by Steven Satterfield
To make traditional stewed turnip greens, start with some chopped onion in a stockpot or Dutch oven. Cook the onion in olive oil, or in fat from a little smoked pork. Season the pot well, then fill halfway with water. Bring to a simmer and add the washed, chopped greens. Tasting as you go, simmer until tender. Serve with piping-hot cornbread. Be sure to serve some of the cooking liquid, or the pot likker, from the pan with the greens.