My husband had a lovely crop of turnips this year from his garden. I’ve cooked them up every which way, but had yet to make them into a soup.
I came across this simple recipe for White Turnip Soup. The humble turnip gets an upmarket treatment in a broth thickened to rich status with cream and egg yolks. The texture is silky, the flavor mild with hints of butter and leek.
I thought it needed some garnish. Martha used croutons and truffles, neither of which I had hanging around. I did have some broccoli and peppers from the garden, so I cooked them until still crisp and used those to add color and texture to the soup.
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, white part only, chopped
1 pound Idaho potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 pounds white turnips, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons flour
3 quarts chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
Sautéed finely chopped green vegetables, to garnish if you like (I used some peppers and broccoli since I had those on hand)
Directions:
1. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and turnips, stirring to combine. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
3. With a slotted spoon, remove vegetables from pot, and place them in a food processor. Purée vegetables, and return them to pot.
4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together heavy cream and yolks. Temper egg mixture by adding 2 cups of soup to the bowl, stir to combine. Add egg and soup mixture to soup pot, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve garnished with vegetables.
Serves 8
Recipe slightly adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Turnip the sound for some old school shoegaze from Sway.
Check out Sway, a former project of musician Andrew Saks, on Bandcamp, where you can buy the music.
Cheers!