Jasdip's turnip puff!

Here it is!

Posted by jasdip (My Page) on Sun, Apr 1, 12 at 13:21

This is a Tried and True recipe that my Mom has made and now I make. A few members here and at the Table have made it and like it a lot, as well.
Turnip Puff

6 cups cubed turnips
2 tbsp. butter
2 eggs, beaten
3 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Cook turnip until tender. Drain and mash. Add butter and eggs. Beat well. (this much can be done the day ahead.)

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir into turnips.

Butter a casserole and put in turnip mixture; combine
crumbs and butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes or until light brown.

Found it. Thanks! Sounds incredibly good to me. I looked for turnip discussions to read before posting this but I searched "turnip roots" because I figured it's usually the greens that are used.

Also got the great idea for creamy turnip soup from that discussion. Don't think I've ever encountered a creamy soup I didn't like, bet that's yummy.

To get over this hopefully wrong idea that DH doesn't like turnips, I think I need a dish where turnips are an interloping component, not the star of the show...

Well I never liked turnips much until I had them roasted. Turnips taste bitter when boiled, but are good roasted or sauteed or stir fried. The roast turnips I had were at a Christmas dinner and the hostess (my friend's mom) just roasted them in the pan along with the turkey, and also potatoes and carrots. They were sweet and flavorful, I couldn't get enough of them. You want small ones for the best flavor. Big one, dice, stir fry and serve with spicy sauce of some kind, to cover any possible bitterness. Or add a cream sauce, which serves much the same purpose. I make "Turnip Pea Potage" which is basically cream of turnip soup with peas. Sweet peas compliment sharp tasting turnips. So do potatoes. Mash them together with potatoes.

I won't be much help, because I love turnips. I roast them, like Lpink, or I just mash with butter and serve like mashed potatoes. I eat the tops too, so I get to use the entire vegetable. I add them to pot roast as one of the vegetables or put them in vegetable soup too.

jasdip's turnip puff is yummy, though, and different.

Annie

Annie

Thanks, thanks, and thanks again! Typing (and made coffee, phone rang) at the same time.

Ok, contextually it seems these are peeled before boiling or probably any other kind of cooking. Other good ideas, like them all.

Bitter when boiled is good to know, but doesn't that make for bitter "mashed potato substitute"? And the puff has boiled chunks. I'm confused.

Could I peel them, wrap in foil & bake in toaster oven until soft, then make "mashed potatoes" or the puff with them? Has anyone made the puff but not mashed all of the turnip chunks?

Would I expect raw chunks, like in a stir-fry, to cook similarly (time/texture) to an identically sized piece of potato?

Thinking large chunks included in a pot roast would probably the most acceptable place to start.

Could it be possible that they are rutabega? My family always called rutabega turnips and the other turnips as white turnips.
But whatever they will be good, peeled, cut into chunks brushed with a little melted butter and roasted in an open pan at 350 or so until they are a little brown on the edges and pierce easily with a fork. Add a little more butter, salt and pepper and there you go!!

I don't peel them, but I do cut off the top and bottom ends and any roots I may find.

My favorite way to have them is deep fried in tempura batter. I cut the turnips in half and the slice them into about 1/8" thick slices. The tempura batter I use has flour, egg, and beer in it, and will be thick or thin, depending on how much beer I use. I generally dip the turnip pieces in flour before dipping them in the batter. You can also deep fry them like French fries, which involves frying them for 3-4 minutes in 340 degree oil, letting them rest for 15-20 minutes, and then frying them in 375 degree oil for 12-15 minutes the time dependent on how thick you make them. If they are thin, they will cook in much less time, but I make them 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick, and they take longer. I keep them in a 190 degree warming oven after the second fry.

I love turnips, and I like them boiled as well - I like bitter as a flavor. A little bit of salt will balance out the bitter flavor. I also very much like turnip greens, and they were one of my favorite vegetables as a child. We had a maid when I was very small who grew them in a vegetable patch that DF designated for her, and she cooked them as well as the turnips.

Lars

They're also good to sweeten and thicken soup stocks - just peel, cube and toss them in. After cooking for an hour or so, the cubes should melt down into nothing. You can help them along by mashing them with a spoon.

Well probably not that bitter when boiled if you don't overcook them. I don't know all the science of why roasting/sauteeing, etc. makes these veggies sweet but it does. Same with brussel sprouts, they taste totally different roasted or shredded and sauteed. Someone more food sciency than me could probably tell you why. It has to do with the caramelization of the sugars in the veggies, but not sure what happens differently with boiling.

OK, let's start some fights. :-)

Turnips? or Rutabagas?

dcarch

Turnips, because she described them as ball sized.

I often buy rutabegas smaller than a soft ball....but you are right likely a turnip.

Here is something easy and good to do with turnips:

Peel equal amounts of turnips and carrots and cut into small dice.

Steam or boil them. Drain. Dress with butter and season with salt.

Carrots add sweetness, complexity and the colors are attractive.

Jim

In beef stew? Then they aren't the star of the show but you can get a taste of them. And like someone mentioned roasted with other root veggies.

I eat this stuff all winter:

Turnip/Carrot slaw

Coarsely grate 2 c. each turnips and carrots.

Add about 1/4 c. chopped leek, onion or scallion

Combine 1/4 c. each lemon juice and olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. dry mustard. Pour over veggies. Let sit an hour or so to meld flavors.

I'm so glad I asked about this. These ideas are all wonderful, I want to make them all! Thanks so much for each of the responses!

Yes, they are definitely turnips. Unfortunately, both grocery stores here wrap almost every piece of produce on a styro tray. Handy because there's a label that tells you what it is and the price, but I don't always want the quantity in the package, and there's no need to waste all of that styrofoam, which can't be recycled here. If I want ears of corn, I can only get them in 4's, already shucked. But I'm going off on a tangent...

I love rutabagas but not "white" turnips. To me rutabagas are less bitter and a tad sweeter. I will eat them anyway they are cooked. DH and son are not so wild about them. I grow them every year in the garden. My favorite way to use them is in a New England Boiled Dinner, which I cook in the slow cooker.
Clare

So, worst case scenario... the turnips get a bad review and then rutabagas seem like a much better alternative! Ha!

I have always cooked them with carrots then mashed- but now after reading this forum I realized I have never had a true turnip only rutabagas. Hmm??? I wonder what turnips taste like?

White or yellow(rutebagas, swedes)boiled with carrots and parsnips and mashed w/ butter/salt/pepper. YUM
or Chinese turnip cakes--it's savory not a cake(YUM YUM)

If they showed up at my house I would compost them. As much as I love almost all veggies, I cannot STAND turnips in any form! I am with your DH on this!

I hop you do find something palatable though.... I hate to waste any sort of food.

Alexa

"----but now after reading this forum I realized I have never had a true turnip only rutabagas. Hmm??? I wonder what turnips taste like?"

kohlrabi (German turnip) ?

dcarch

I love rutabega...don't like turnips. I peel cube boil mash with butter and nutmeg....if I'm feeling extra sweet, I throw in a little maple syrup.

Yummo!

dcarch - I also grow kohlrabi which, to me, taste nothing like a turnip or rutabaga. I think it is closer in taste to cabbage even though it has been called "German turnip". Actually it is in the cabbage family. Saw this on Wiki, "The taste and texture of kohlrabi are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter, with a higher ratio of flesh to skin. The young stem in particular can be as crisp and juicy as an apple, although much less sweet." It is also a very versatile veggie. (Say that fast 3 times! LOL)
Clare