Turnip "Risotto"

[hippywife]

I got email from a vegetarian friend in CA who knows I love turnips and this is what she had to say:

I know this sounds disgusting - but surprise, surprise - daughter made this for
dinner tonight, http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/03/dinner-tonight-turnip-risotto-recipe.html

and all of us loved it. She used veggie stock rather than chicken in
deference to me, and used Asiago instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano because
that's what we had ... she didn't even put the cheese in husband's
(because he doesn't do dairy) and all three of us thought it was really
good. The turnip was sweet, had a "tooth" similiar to kernel corn, and
the risotto was creamy and satisfying. I was really impressed.

I'm going to try it. :D

[The empressof all]

1. Have you ever done a cream of turnip soup

It's actually the only way I enjoy turnips. I had it at a fancy french restaurant years ago and have been a fan ever since. It's easy to "herb" up with whatever you have around and it's a great medium for carrying a good Parm note if you want to add cheese. I make it sometimes with fennel. Yummers.

[hippywife]

2. No. I never even started eating turnips

until last year when supernova posted a recipe for roasted winter root veggies from Whole Food's website. My mom never fixed turnips, beets, rutabagas, etc. I grew up thinking like other kids that they were nasty and the very mention of their names evoked scary thoughts. Now I love, love, love them! And beets, too!

Thanx for suggesting the fennel. I think that would add a wonderful flavor to this dish. :hi:

[Warpy]

3. I learned to tolerate turnips as part of a roasted root veggie

dinner, but I can't say I ever learned to like them. There's an acrid undertaste that catches me in the back of the throat every time. Oh, I can manage to get 'em down and they're cheap, filling, and full of vitamins and fibre, which is why I threw them in to the roasted veggies and into soups and stews.

The key seems to be loading them down with dairy and fat, either cream or cheese. I seem to remember my mother preparing creamed turnips for herself but never daring to serve them to my dad or me.

[hippywife]

4. The one I don't care for really is

parsnips. They have a perfumy essence about them that you can taste before you even bite into them that I just can't seem to like. Rutabagas are fine, if kind of boring. The beets and turnips are the ones I really enjoy, tho.

[Warpy]

5. Parsnips go very nicely with a tomato based soup

Tomatoes seem to blend with that sweet fragrance you're talking about.

[japple]

6. I LOVE turnips, and always put them in soups. They give

leek-potato soup a rich flavor, which is why I usually sneak one into the pot when making mashed potatoes. Everyone wonders why my mashed potatoes taste so good. I also throw in a couple when making pot roast or roasted vegetables. I love to eat them raw, and have been on the lookout for a turnip slaw, though I don't think anyone else in my family would eat it.

Your recipe for turnip rissoto sounds divine. I have made them au gratin and that is wonderful. I'll have to give this a try.

[sazemisery]

7. Reading my mind.

I bought turnips from the coop and was trying to figure out something new. Mr.sazemisery has never had turnips cooked correctly and says he hates them. But he loves risotto so I'm giving this a shot. And it will go quite nicely with the Rigatoni w/Sauteed Cremini Mushrooms and Turkey Confit he is making. I got winter endive and radish microgreens also from the coop so I'll throw together a salad with black olives, tomato, mitake mushrooms, parmesan and balsamic vinegar and oil.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/rigatoni-with-sauteed-cremini-mushrooms-and-turkey-confit-recipe/index.html

Thank you.

[hippywife]

8. This took a lot of work

and a lot more time than the guy indicated in his recipe. It's very good and well worth the effort but give yourself lots of time if you are going to make it, both in the prep and cooking stages.