For some time now, I owe my friend Tammy a turnip post. The background story is that she made a turnip post herself in which she wrote her thoughts about turnips often being considered “lowly”, and why she loved that humble vegetable, and then shared a wonderful recipe for stuffed turnips.
I totally agree that turnips are wonderful vegetables – they not only taste good, but also give you a boost in vitamins, minerals, and fiber (see here) – but nevertheless, they seem to be rather neglected by most people. Maybe this is due to the fact that turnips are still associated with times of poverty and very little to eat, such as the “turnip winter” of 1916/1917 in Germany, after WW1, when turnips were one of the very few edible things left, and people made everything from them, ranging from soups and stews to “bread” and “coffee”.
Happily, these times have passed by now. But still, turnips have to be freed from the notion of being a rather low vegetable. To help with this, I want to show you one of my favorite turnip recipes which I know from my childhood already. Both my mom and my grandmom used to make this, and my dad loves it very much. This recipe is a very delicious side dish, and in my version, it is also vegan.
TURNIP AND CARROT PUREE
2-3 servings
Ingredients
1 large turnip, peeled and cut into pieces
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
a little water
125 ml (1/2 cup) almond milk (or other milk)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch of ground cloves
1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped (with some leaves left out for garnishing)
Directions
In a pot, boil the turnip and carrot cubes in a little water, covered, until soft (about 10 minutes). Toss the remaining water after cooking, then add the almond milk and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and parsley. Mash the whole thing with a potato masher or blender. Garnish with fresh parsley, serve, and enjoy.
Which is your favorite turnip recipe? Please share (or make a turnip post yourself) to help with re-establishing this loveable vegetable!
