This turnip recipe should be called, “shake hands with turnips” because turnips are the only vegetable that I’ve yet to make friends with. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever eaten a turnip until my husband and I joined a CSA. Now they show up in our baskets all the time, mocking us. I’ve tried them in dozens of recipes, but this is by far my favorite.
And what’s Gemolata, you ask? It’s a little like pesto. It adds some depth to the soup, and makes it look prettier, too. While blended soups are delicious, they usually look a lot like baby food. A dollop of color can make all the difference for non-diapered dinners.
I was inspired to spice up the turnip recipe with curry after I read about how good curry is for preventing Alzheimer’s and other types of mental decline.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 orange or red bell pepper
- 5-10 carrots, washed cut into large chunks (5 if they’re large, 10 if their small carrots)
- 5-10 turnips, washed cut into large chunks (5 if they’re large, 10 if their small turnips)
- 3 cups veggie broth
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Cooking Directions
- First, heat oil over medium heat in a pot. Add onion and pepper and saute for a few minutes until soft. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add the remaining veggies, broth, curry and salt. Cover, lower temperature and simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Allow ingredients to cool slightly.
- Next, work in batches to blend soup in a blender until smooth (or use an immersion blender in the pot). Transfer back to your pot to warm back up. Finally, serve it all up with a spoon of Cilantro Gemolata.
- Blend last four ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add olive oil as needed.
Do you have a favorite turnip recipe? Share away in the comments!
Photo by Bonnie J Heath Photography
marilyn
This looks really yummy!
I’ve made a turnip gratin before with a recipe from The Pioneer Woman, so it was pretty delicious, but loaded with butter and cheese. This looks a little more like a reasonable dinner option on a non-feast day! ;)
Kip
This looks delish! Turnips are really versatile, I’ve come to love them, though I don’t think I had ever tried one either until I became a gardener and CSA member. Tonight I made a carrot and turnip slaw that was super tasty. I also also like them roasted like potatoes.
Becky Striepe
Ooh turnips are great in slaw! I made one with turnips, beets, and kohlrabi that was sort of based on the slaw you made for taco night. It was so good!
rhonda winter
That sounds most splendid. I just harvested some kohlrabi, beets, and turnips from our garden; now I have a luscious vegetable vision inspiration for dinner.
Becky Striepe
Let me know how it turns out! I love a good slaw.
Amanda
very cool! can’t wait to join a CSA and when those turnips arrive, now we’ll know what to do with them! :)