So, you think you don’t like turnips? Here’s a dish that may change your mind.
I’m always surprised when I find turnips in my supermarket. They are decidedly not an Italian favorite. I’ve only ever seen them once on a menu here, at an upscale place, paired with fried sweetbreads. The sweetbreads were very tasty… eh, hem… I’ve never seen them served at anyone’s house or heard anyone speak of them, fondly or otherwise. The aversion could be owing to the historical use of the root as pig fodder, or a last ditch survival food. The leaves were the part considered suited to human consumption. Pliny the Elder sang the praises of the turnip, but emphasized its utility rather than its taste.
Admittedly, I am not particularly keen on the root part of the vegetable myself, although I make frequent use of the leaves, generally as a side dish or sautéed with garlic, chili, and anchovy and tossed with pasta - especially orecchiette. But I felt I hadn’t given the insipid, pallid spheres the sporting chance they deserved, so I turned to one of my favorite preparation methods for raw foods to see if I could transform the lowly turnip into something special. And indeed, carpaccio was the solution. I’ve had to wait a year to find them on the market again so that I could do a photo shoot, so when I spotted them the other day I snapped them up.
This recipe may very well win you over. Or to borrow the reassuring phrase used so often to close Medieval Italian recipes: “And it will be good.”
Turnip carpaccio with horseradish dressing
Ingredients:
salad
2 white turnips and their leaves
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
parmesan shavings
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
fresh ground black pepper
sauce
1 tbsp horseradish (from a jar)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions:
Mix the sauce ingredients.
Slice the turnips very thin and arrange on a plate.
Spoon some of the sauce on each slice and leave to “cook” while preparing the greens.
Wash the turnip leaves well and chop into thin strips crosswise.
Heat the oil in a small skillet and add the garlic. Cook until it just starts taking on color.
Add the greens and salt, and toss around until well coated. Turn off the heat. They should not cook through.
Distribute the greens evenly over the slices. Top with parmesan shavings and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.
And it will be good.