I got a few red turnips in my Door to Door box last week, and I admit, I had no idea what to do with them. When I was googling around to find out, I discovered this hilarious description:

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I can’t stop laughing at “leaden spheres.” But anyway, turnips are actually a good source of…

You said it! I’ve written about turnips several times in various newspapers. Turnips can be like cranky relatives, but they can be terrific too. Here’s a recipe for turnip soup. If you don’t tell anyone what they’re eating, they’ll like it better. You can tell them after they’ve finished and you’ll have some converts.

Btw, you said “red turnips.” The recipe is for the white/purple turnips (but would work with red ones, only not as many because rutabagas are much bigger). Were yours rutabagas?

Creamy Turnip Soup with Buttered Crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup packed fresh bread crumbs

4 medium white turnips, peeled and diced

1 large all-purpose potato, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 large shallot, peeled and chopped

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1-1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

up to one cup light cream or half and half cream

Heat the butter in a sautepan over medium heat. When it has melted and looks foamy, add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes or until toasty brown. Set aside. Place the turnips, potato, carrots, shallot, stock, salt, pepper and thyme in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Puree the ingredients (food processor, blender or stick blender). Return the soup to the pan. Add cream to taste. Heat through. Add salt and pepper if needed. Serve topped with buttered bread crumbs. Makes 4-6 servings

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