My First Time... Cooking With Turnips

It's hard for me to admit that I have never cooked turnips, but here I am. Hello, my name is Bossy Italian Wife and I have never cooked turnips. I don't know about you, but I feel exponentially better now that I have gotten that off my chest. Anyway, it isn't really true anymore. Because now I have.

Like all first times, I was nervous. And excited. Because the first time you do something, there is room for error. I have to also 'fess up that I was worried that my husband wouldn't like the turnips. He has a good palette, but sometimes, I swear that he doesn't like things conceptually. Like, as in he prejudges food. I didn't want turnips to be like that for me... mostly for myself.

This was totally selfish, I guess, I wanted him to like the turnips for me, mostly.

So, I combed my cookbooks and finally settled on Julia Child's turnip casserole recipe because she said that even people who don't like turnips like that recipe. BINGO!

So my mom gave me four of these suckers and I was ready to go. 

I have to say, as far as veggies go, these are pretty. I am attracted to their colors. Purple and white really turn me on, I guess. 

So I peeled them and then I cut them into hunks. Chunks. Quartered-like pieces. 

And the recipe also called for onions, so I used those too. 

Basically you blanch the turnips, then you boil them in a mixture of bacon, (I used bacon fat because I didn't have bacon), onions, and beef broth. I added a little tarragon and some salt. Maybe a clove of garlic for good measure.... 

And I served them alongside a steak. When the moment of truth came, I was relieved that my husband loved them! They are not unlike potatoes in their texture, but they taste a bit different. But we enjoyed every last bit of them! And I am looking to mash them up with some taters!!! 

This may have been my first time, but it certainly won't be my last. Thanks to Julia Child, I am well on my way to a healthy relationship with turnips. 

Thanks, Julia! 

If you don't have a copy of Mastering The Art of French Cooking, it is a must-have for your cookbook collection. You can pick it up here: