TURNIP
If you think that it is impossible to love turnips, you must try this recipe
Hay Turnips with Green Asparagus & Creamed Morels
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Hay-Infused Turnips:
- 4 turnips , scrubbed, tops trimmed (retain the trimming to make a puree to serve on the side)
- 2 cups food-grade hay (rinsed)
- 4 tbsp good quality plant based butter (unsalted)
- 4 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Olive oil for searing
- Green Asparagus:
- 8 thick green asparagus, woody ends trimmed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- Flaky sea salt and black pepper
- Creamed Morels:
- 1 cup fresh morels
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ plant cream
- 2 tbsp of good quality Cognac
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Prepare the Turnips (Sous Vide Method):
- Preheat sous vide bath to 85°C (185°F).
- Divide hay into two portions. Line a sous vide bag with one portion, add turnips, maple syrup and butter, then top with the remaining hay. Vacuum-seal.
- Cook for 1.5 hours. Remove turnips, discard hay, and pat dry.
- *Alternative Oven Method:* Wrap turnips and butter in hay, enclose in red Le Creuset style pot and close. Roast at 190°C (375°F) for 45–50 minutes. We sometimes add some bread dough around the pot to seal the pot and serve the pot directly in dining room.
2. Cook the Asparagus:
- Toss asparagus in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add a cup of vegetable broth and cover with a lid until tender-crisp (3–4 minutes).
3. Make Creamed Morels:
- Sauté shallot and garlic in plant butter until soft. Add morels and thyme; cook 3–4 minutes.
- Deglaze with Cognac (if using). Stir in plant thick cream and simmer until thickened (max 15 minutes) add salt, and pepper.
4. Plate:
- Place the whole turnip in the middle of a plate. Arrange asparagus beside and spoon creamed morels next to the turnips.
It took me years to start dreaming of dishes where the star would be a simple turnip. It is not an easy vegetable to love at first sight; it tends to be hard, slightly bitter and I do not come from a place where it enters many recipes. If anything, the French gastronomic repertoire is rather poor in turnip. Unlike the Irish or Scots where some traditional recipes have included turnips, we do not have any famous French dish with turnips. I recently had an Hakurey turnip and it was delicious : much sweeter than the traditional one and much softer too. It was versatile enough to have it either raw (grated in salad) or sliced and barbecued.
I predict that Turnip will be one of the star ingredient of 2025.