
Nutritional
Information:
This food is a good source of Vitamin C and B, potassium,
calcium, and phosphorus. Raw grated
turnip serves as a digestive aid, much the same as radish. Turnips may also
clear heat, dissolve phlegm, moisten and cool and strengthen the blood; they
are good for general detox. Turnips are high in anticarcinogenic
glucosinolates. Turnips greens are also nutritious and carry medicinal
benefits.
Food Fun Facts: Turnip
is a member of the brassica (cabbage) family. Three different varieties of
turnip are as follows: scarlet, white winter and purple top. Purple top turnips
are those you have mainly seen in the CSA in the past with white skin and flesh
except for the tops.
How to Use: Turnips can be used in soups and casseroles, steamed on
their own, roasted, baked and pureed. Cooking them with potatoes or sauteed
onions and turmeric will soften the taste taking away the turnipy flavor.
Remember raw grated turnip as a side condiment is a digestive aid. One CSA
member sliced them thin and made turnip sandwiches – and her kids loved them!
Recipes:
Turnips with Onions~ Ashram Member Durga’s Recommendation taken from Harish Johari’s Ayurvedic
Cookbook
1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or butter or a
substitute oil
4 chopped onions
1 tsp ground tumeric
2 tsp ground coriander
8 –10 small turnips,
peeled and thinly slice
1 tsp salt
In a heavy pan, heat the ghee over medium heat. Add the
onions, tumeric, and coriander, and cook until the ghee surfaces. Stir in the
turnips and salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 mins.
Quick Turnip Soup
1 large peeled and finely grated turnip
2 pints of milk
1 onion, puréed
1 tbl spoon flour
2 tbl spoons of melted butter
salt and pepper to season
parley to garnish
Heat the milk in a double boiler with the onion, add the flour and butter,
which have been well blended, then the turnip, and salt. Cook until the turnip
is tender, or for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the soup just
before serving.
Easy Turnip French Fries (Baked)
Chop the turnip into french-fry strips and (if you wish)
lightly coat with oil. Place on a flat baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake at 350-375 for 20 minutes. Try some different seasonings: dried parsley
and basil, a little sea salt or a touch of cayenne and sea kelp.
Turnip Pickles
Cut turnips into thick slices or sticks and stuff them into jars with tight
fitting lids. You can throw in a beet slice too, which will make the
pickles pink. We also sometimes put in whole garlic cloves, but they're
really not needed. In a non-reactive pot (glass, enamel or stainless steel)
boil the following until the salt and sugar are dissolved:
1 1/4 cups water
2/3 cups vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Cool, then pour over the turnips in the jar. Cover the jar tightly. Store
them in the refrigerator. They are ready to eat in a week. When the next
round of turnips come in the following Wednesday, we just slice them up and add
them to the same jar, and it just keeps us going with a steady supply of these
goodies.
Indonesian Kale~ Recommended by CSA Member Susan Gubisch
In large saucepan, saute 1/2 cup chopped onions and
1.5 cups chopped fresh tomatoes in
1/4 cup olive oil for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, steam 2 cups diced turnips or potatoes or combination for 10-15
minutes.
Add turnips to tomatoes along with:
2 cups chopped kale*
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbl curry powder mixed with 1 tbl water
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp grated fresh ginger)
1/8 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp saltCook 5-10 more minutes until kale is tender. Serve over rice.
Grandma Dean's Turnip Pie
2 cups mashed, boiled turnips
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups milk
3 beaten eggs
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into a pastry shell and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
That was the extent of the instructions. I used a food mill to process the cooked turnips, and replaced one cup of milk with heavy cream. My favorite crust is this vodka pie dough. America's Test Kitchen found that baking custard pies at the traditional 425 degrees causes them to curdle. They suggest baking at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, and then lowering the temperature to 300 degrees until the edges are set, 35 minutes longer, which is what I did. The result is, well, something like a pumpkin pie, except the first bite tastes just like turnips. It should be cooled completely before serving, and the flavor improved in the refrigerator overnight. If I'm ever lucky enough to receive a pound of turnips as a gift, I'll make this pie again.
http://food.hamtramckstar.com/dean-turnip-pie
Chinese New Year Turnip Cake
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked overnight in water
1/3 cup dried shrimp, soaked in water overnight and drained
1 pound tofu, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 slices fresh ginger root
3 turnips, shredded
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
2/3 pound white rice flour
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add
mushrooms, shrimp and tofu and saute for 1/2 minute. Remove from
skillet and set aside. Heat 1 more tablespoon oil in wok/skillet. Add
ginger and saute a bit. Add shredded turnips and stir fry for about 3
minutes (do NOT remove turnip water). Add 5-spice powder, salt, chicken
bouillon and white pepper and toss all together until evenly
distributed. Extract ginger slices from mixture.
Turn off heat. Top turnip mixture with rice flour and use chopsticks to
toss and mix flour in evenly. Add reserved tofu mixture and toss to mix
in. Remove mixture from wok/skillet and place into a 9x2 inch deep
round cake pan.
Clean wok/skillet, fill with water and bring to a boil. Place cake pan
on a round wire rack over boiling water. Reduce heat to low and let
simmer, steaming cake 'batter', for 45 minutes. (Note: you can also use
a large bamboo steamer if you have one). When 'cake' is steamed
through, slice into pieces and serve hot OR cool on wire rack before
covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing in refrigerator to
chill.
Enjoy!