How to cook turnips it’s the secret to a varied, tasty and… economical table!
With the turnips the recipes there are so many that can be invented. And all tasty. For centuries they have been protagonists of peasant nutrition. As time went by, however, we mistreated them more and more, first replacing them with potatoes, then sacrificing them to the more trendy daikon. Yet the roots of the Brassica rapa plant, with a generally round shape – a little squat – and a white color which can also have shades from pink to purple depending on the variety, are a very precious ingredient in the kitchen. L’fall it is the best time to rediscover them and bring them to the table in many ways because the first cold ones make the turnips sweeter.

Turnips: properties and how to cook them

Turnip is very rich in water, contains sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus and is a good source of C vitamin. It is low in calories and has diuretic and antioxidant properties. But how to cook turnip? To prepare it, you need to remove the ends, the base and the part that attaches to the leaves, then it must be peeled. At this point it can be consumed raw in salad or it can be cooked, simply by boiling it in water. Turnip can also be baked in the oven, for example au gratin or stuffed, and can become the protagonist of soups and risottos. A typical dish with turnips? There brovada Friulian, a traditional recipe that has been protected by the PDO brand for some years in which the turnips are macerated in the pomace and then cooked. Turnips can also be used to prepare gardener.

Caprauna turnip

The turnip grown in CapraunaAlta Val Tanaro, between Liguria and Piedmont, is one of Slow Food presidia: they are large turnips with a particularly sweet flavour, especially the yellow-fleshed ones. A typical pairing is with the sausage and with a special type of fresh pasta, the let’s go, the seasoning also includes walnuts, mushrooms and potatoes.

Turnip…Halloween!

Here’s a curiosity about Halloween and turnips. Just like they do in the United States with pumpkin, in Scotland it was an ancient tradition carving turnips to transform them into lanterns with the function of warding off evil spirits.

How to cook turnips: 10 tasty and economical recipes

If you prefer eating turnips rather than carving them, here are 10 ideas for cooking them.