Cooking Tip: Turnips

• November 12, 2014  |
• by The Family Cooks

Do you know the difference between a turnip, a rutabaga and a kohlrabi?

They are three best friends, the turnip is the slightly peppery fellow, the rutabaga (sometimes called a Swedish turnip or yellow turnip) is the sweet one and the kohlrabi (pictured) is the elegant, yet eccentric one (it looks like a UFO). All of them are delicious raw, sweet and loudly crunchy. Peel them, and try tossing them thinly shaved or diced into salads and do try slicing them to serve as a surprising addition to your crudite. You will have everyone wondering what this delightful crunchy thing is.

Cooked, they are wonderful mashed, either with or without potatoes, braised, roasted or as a great addition to any vegetable soup.

Choose them heavy-for-their-size and smallish, as the youngest ones will be more delicately flavored and textured. The greens (if attached) should be bright-colored and fresh, and are fantastic in their own right, sauteed as you would any tender green.