Turnip and Potato Soup

This warm creamy soup is prefect for the cold wet weather. It’s nice to have the rain for the farmers and their future spring crops. In the meantime, I wanted to make good use of the lovely turnips and leeks I found on the KMK Farms table in Visalia last Saturday. This soup tastes like the classic French leek soup but with a bit more structure and earthiness with the addition of turnips. If you don’t have a parsnip, you can replace it with a couple more stakes of chopped celery. I served it with some of the no-knead bread, served open face with melted cheddar chive cheese and a kumquat topped green salad. I served a French wine Les Arpents Chenin Blanc, 2007, from the Loire Valley. It’s light, crisp and very food friendly, with low 11.5% alcohol, and a great bargain at $3.00 from my local Grocery Outlet.

Turnip & Potato Winter Soup

serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2-3 large leeks, cleaned and trimmed to 2 inches off greens above the white, to make about ½ cup

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

4 large celery stalks, trimmed and finely diced

1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 med potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3 med turnips, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

7 cups chicken broth

salt & pepper to taste

¾ cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Finely slice the leeks and rinse under water, drain and set aside.
2. In a heavy Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the leeks and celery and cook until soft but NOT brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the potato, parsnip, turnips and broth and season with salt and pepper. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft.
4. With a slotted spoon remove 1 ½ cups of the vegetables to a side dish and reserve. Transfer the remaining vegetables and broth to a food processor and process until smooth.
5. Return the soup to the casserole together with the reserved vegetables, add the heavy cream, and just hear through.
6. DO NOT Bring to a boil, or the cream will separate. Taste and correct the seasoning and serve hot with crusty French bread and a salad J

Japanese Turnip- Hakurei Salad

Recently my farmer friend, Kyle Reynolds of KMK Farms,introduced me to a new winter salad ingredient, the Japanese turnip Hakurei. It was similar to a radish in texture but without the spiciness, making it a good choice to serve picky eaters like children and the elderly. I added another local product, walnuts and candied them quickly in local honey and maple syrup in a small saucepan. I also used our local Fuji apples, but other apple varieties will work fine. My dressing of choice is the usual homemade wine vinegar and local oil olive, with a grind of fresh pepper and a pinch of Hawaiian sea salt. It looked a little bland so I tossed on a few pomegranate seeds and kumquat slices to add color.

Hatari, Apple and Candied Walnuts Salad

3 Hakurei Turnips, washed, unpeeled and thinly sliced

1 med apple, cored and thinly sliced

¼ c candied walnuts, chopped coarsely

fresh lettuce washed and torn

optional: pomegranate seeds and kumquat slices

olive oil, wine vinegar

Right before serving, toss the turnip and apples slices with the dressing in a small bowl. Add a grind of fresh pepper and pinch of salt. Arrange a handful of lettuce on individual plates, top with the turnip and apple slices. Sprinkle on the chopped walnuts, and optional ingredients. Drizzle on more dressing if desired.