Vegetables for vitality: Turnips

A member of the cabbage family, turnips are prized for their roots as well as their greens. A staple vegetable since early Roman times, turnips were brought to North America by both French and British settlers and are a flavorful staple that should be on your table today.

All of the following is neatly packed into 175 millilitres (3/4 cup) of turnips:

• about 28 calories
• more than a third of the daily recommendation for vitamin C to control blood cholesterol
• indoles to fight cancer
• lysine to prevent cold sores
• soluble and insoluble fibre to lower cholesterol and prevent constipation

Season:

 Turnips are mainly winter vegetables, but because they store well, you can find them year-round.

What to look for:

•  Choose smooth, heavy, firm turnips, preferably on the small side — closer to a golf ball than a baseball — with a minimum of fibrous root hairs at the bottom.
• Large turnips can develop a strong flavour that's too assertive for most tastes.
• If greens are attached, they should be crisp and a vibrant green.

Storage: 

Keep turnip roots in a plastic bag in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for up to a week.

Detach and store turnip greens separately and use within a few days.

Preparation:

 Trim a slice from the top and bottom of each turnip and peel as thinly as possible with a swivel vegetable peeler to save nutrients.

Basic cooking:

• Before cooking, place cut-up turnip in cold water with lemon or vinegar added to prevent the flesh from darkening.
• For the same reason, do not cook turnips in aluminum or iron pans.
• To preserve the mild, peppery flavour, do not cook turnips beyond the crisp-tender stage because overcooking intensifies the flavour.
• Turnip chunks can be roasted with meat or poultry or in a shallow roasting pan by themselves (30 to 45 minutes at 190°C/375°F).
• Turnips can be boiled, steamed, microwaved or braised, whole or in pieces.
• Cooking turnips whole takes longer – up to 30 minutes. Sliced or matchstick turnips can be successfully stir-fried or sautéed.
• Turnip chunks add a sweet, peppery note to soups and stews.
• Mashing boiled, steamed or microwaved turnips with butter, salt and pepper is a classic way to serve the vegetable. But mashed turnip also goes well with other mashed vegetables, such as potatoes, spiced with some onion or roasted cloves of garlic and fresh herbs such as chivesor parsley.
• Puréed turnips on their own are deliciously sweet, but their bulk and texture tends to be a little on the thin side. Adding one medium potato for every three turnips makes a creamier, richer purée.

• Steam sliced turnips, carrots and potatoes and mash them together. The combination is smoky and delicious.
• Sauté cubes of turnip in olive oil with garlic and shredded turnip greens as a side dish.
• Add shredded turnips and dill to the shredded potatoes you are using to make potato pancakes, for a fresh new taste.
• Make a slaw of shredded turnips and shredded apples; dress with a combination of apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard.

In the late fourth century BC, when King Nicomedes of Bithynia (now part of northern Turkey) was travelling far from the sea and craved anchovies, his cook served him thin slices of turnip sprinkled with poppy seeds and salt.

Try any or all of these ideas in order to experience the nutritional benefits and the rich flavour of the turnip.

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