Stock your winter kitchen with bright red apples and ruby grapefruits, citrus fruit galore, sweet potatoes and winter squash, leafy greens and cabbage, frozen berries, and…turnips!
Colorful fruits and vegetables in the heart of winter.
With their purple outer coating and tender green tops, turnips are a real winter beauty. You can find them at most farmers’ markets this time of year.
Turnips are part of the cruciferous family of vegetables, along with cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. Research has linked cruciferous vegetables with overall good health, along with cancer prevention.
Here are some ideas for how to enjoy turnips:
- Peel, chop, and roast turnips with other wintery root vegetables
- Pickle turnips and enjoy with homemade falafel
- Slice and serve turnips raw in a salad
- Take your favorite potato gratin recipe and swap all or half of the potatoes for thinly sliced turnips.
Indian Spiced Turnip Tomato Curry
If you really want to spice things up, try this recipe for Indian Spiced Turnip Tomato Curry. The curry is perfumed with sauteed onions and a mix of mustard seed, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and tomato. Serve with a side of cooked brown rice or quinoa, and/or some yellow dal.
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- ½ – inch piece fresh ginger, grated on a microplane (about 1 teaspoon grated)
- 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2/3 cup water, plus more as needed
- 10 ounces fresh turnips, peeled and diced (2 heaping cups)
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- salt to taste
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped (optional)
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until dark golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, and pepper flakes (if using) and sauté another 1 minute. Add the cumin, coriander, and turmeric and stir for another 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and water and stir. Add the chopped turnips and cover the skillet. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer and cook until the turnips are softened, 30 to 40 minutes. Add an additional ¼ cup water if the liquid level simmers away before the turnips are done.
- Stir in the sugar, salt to taste, and optional chopped cilantro and serve.
