Huge, ugly turnip

[rawstrength]

So, foolishly, I bought what I thought was jicama at the market today, but when I got home and cut into it, it turned out to be a turnip!
I've never used turnips before and I have no idea how to prepare them raw. It tasted pretty bland on its own and the texture was too crunchy for my liking. Help! I hate wasting food!

[Lavendula]

Since you thought it was a jicama, are you sure it is a turnip? Turnips are white with purple on the end, white inside, and I don't think they are bland, more like a radish. Unless it is woody inside, then I don't eat them. I can't see you mistaking it for a jicama. A rutabaga may resemble a jicama more, as it is more brownish, with a tinge of purple, and sorta brownish yellow inside, and more bland, on the sweeter side, but similar smell and taste. And, yes, there are some pretty big and ugly ones, and much more difficult to cut than a jicama. I eat both, turnips, and rutabagas. I cut in sticks and sprinkle with salt, let sit a bit , it makes them juicier, or puree them with carrots, parnips, celery, onion, spices, etc. for a nice soup. They are also great in kraut, or you could slice thin and sorta pickle them, grate and add to salad or a a crunchier soup. If it is indeed a turnip, it would make nice sushi roll "rice" finely grated and pressed, or run through a masticating juicer. The reason I gave your big ugly turnip so much attention, is because I love them and rutabagas and don't like to waste food either. I hope you make a new friend, after a bad first impression.

[rawstrength]

Thank you, lavendula. I believe it is a rutabaga. It was unlabeled and in the basket where the jicama usually is, so as I was rushing through the supermarket I grabbed the wrong veggie.

[kaybee]

grated salad: you might not have the other ingredients though...
we had loads of white turnips in the community garden this summer and i really didnt know what to do withe them, in ireland where i was they get cooked to death and im sure noone would even THINK of using them raw.. so i tried this:

-grated chunk of turnip
-a grated beet
-grated apple, preferably granny smith
-salt
-lemon juice
-olive oil

it was actually really good. the flavors balanced really nicely--slightly peppery/spicy from the turnip, earthy sweetness from the beet, sweet-sour from the granny smith, then the oil, salt and lemon. really good. and as a bonus the beet turns it all pink. and i bet using a golden beet would be pretty too :)

kb

[Lavendula]

We create the best food out of instant creativity. I have not been eating any green salad, but I think i'll make that tomorrow with daikon, and a little borsht (sp) too. My mouth is watering in anticipation of tomorrrow. Thanks kaybee

[sport]

in ireland where i was they get cooked to death and im sure noone would even THINK of using them raw..
kb

Take that back. I ate many a raw turnip growing up. We would take them from the farmers fields on our way home from school and just eat them as we walked.
Ah Happy memories.

[pan.droid]

Since you thought it was a jicama, are you sure it is a turnip? Turnips are white with purple on the end, white inside, and I don't think they are bland, more like a radish. Unless it is woody inside, then I don't eat them. I can't see you mistaking it for a jicama. A rutabaga may resemble a jicama more, as it is more brownish, with a tinge of purple, and sorta brownish yellow inside, and more bland, on the sweeter side, but similar smell and taste. And, yes, there are some pretty big and ugly ones, and much more difficult to cut than a jicama. I eat both, turnips, and rutabagas. I cut in sticks and sprinkle with salt, let sit a bit , it makes them juicier, or puree them with carrots, parnips, celery, onion, spices, etc. for a nice soup. They are also great in kraut, or you could slice thin and sorta pickle them, grate and add to salad or a a crunchier soup. If it is indeed a turnip, it would make nice sushi roll "rice" finely grated and pressed, or run through a masticating juicer. The reason I gave your big ugly turnip so much attention, is because I love them and rutabagas and don't like to waste food either. I hope you make a new friend, after a bad first impression.

I love this... Reminds me of Thom Robbins going on about the difference between "the beet" and "the raddish" in one of his best books, "Jitterbug Perfume."

All the best,

Pan.Droid

[KellyL]

Make rawvioli with it. Slice it thin (using the spiralizer if you have one) and stuff it with nut cheese filling. I think Alissa's book has a recipe in it. When you top it with marinara sauce, it softens a bit and soaks up the flavors of the sauce and the filling. Yummy!

[kaybee]

shoot. forgot about you sport ;p sorry... lemme rephrase then: ... noone in DINGLE would even THINK about eating a turnip raw...

better?

kb

[Lavendula]

I love this... Reminds me of Thom Robbins going on about the difference between "the beet" and "the raddish" in one of his best books, "Jitterbug Perfume."

All the best,

Pan.Droid

I am not sure how you meant that, as I am not familiar with Thom Robbins, but I'll have to google him. I hope you meant it warmly, as I did, because adore winter roots.

[Lavendula]

I love this... Reminds me of Thom Robbins going on about the difference between "the beet" and "the raddish" in one of his best books, "Jitterbug Perfume."

All the best,

Pan.Droid

I did find Thom Robbins, but not the bit about the difference between a radish and a beet, just the reference to beets and Priscilla. In the meantime, I just made and devoured a lovely daikon (radish), whilst making a beautiful beet soup, that I did stop to take a portrait of ( my first food picture ). As I first buried my face in it, I was thinking, " I wish my husband enjoyed this food as much as I do", then thought, " my daughter really would enjoy it", and it is so beautiful, "maybe someone else might at least like to see it".

[rawstrength]

Thanks everyone for all of your loving replies to my question about "the big ugly turnip."
It turned out to be a rutabaga.
I cut it into 1/4 inch thick slices and took each 1/4 inch slice and shaved off pasta shaped strips along the 1/4 inch thin side with my veggie peeler to make really really thin pasta. It's hard to describe my non-spiralizer, non-mandeline pasta making strategy. Maybe I'll post pictures one time.
Anyway, I marinated it in ACV, salt, cold pressed sesame oil and a bit of honey for 3 hours. Then I rinsed the marinade off, gently warmed it up, and topped it with a cashew alfredo sauce. It was actually delicious. It got really soft from the marinading and gently warming (and I mean really gently, under 105 degrees). It lost almost all of that unbearable (for me) spicy flavor, too. I had never had a rutabaga or a turnip or any other winter root veggie besides a carrot or a beet before. Maybe I will even buy another rutabaga now!