Turnip Soup and Vegetable Broth

So what did I do with my turnips from my farmer's market visit? This fabulous pureed turnip soup, which was so simple and so good.

I was able to use a vegetable broth I made and froze a few weeks earlier, and it did not disappoint. This will be my go-to vegetable broth recipe from now on. I love how it uses vegetable scraps - which I collected after just a few days (green part of leeks, onion skins and roots, carrot tips and peels, herb stems, etc. - just wash the entire vegetable before using, that way the scraps will be clean). If you know you will make the broth within a few days, you can store the scraps in the refrigerator. Otherwise toss them in a ziploc bag and store in the freezer until you make the broth.

Turnip Soup
adapted from Pitchfork Diaries

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
3 cups cubed turnips
6 c. vegetable broth
white pepper
salt
chives, chopped (optional)

Melt butter in heavy bottomed soup pot. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and stir to combine. Gradually whisk in stock until all incorporated. Add cubed turnip, bring to a gentle boil, and then reduce to a simmer until turnip is tender, about 20-25 minutes.

Puree soup either in a blender or with an immersion blender. Return to low heat, and then season with salt and white pepper. Top with chopped chives.


Vegetable Broth
from Spain in Iowa

2 onions, sliced 1/4"
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 quarts water
3 large cups extra vegetable pieces (bits, ends, and scraps)
Stems of one bunch of parsley
fennel sprigs (optional)

In a stockpot, bring 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Saute for 3-5 minutes or until the onions just begin to turn transparent.

Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and sweat for 30 minutes or until the onions caramelize and turn a nice golden brown.

Add 3 quarts of water and vegetable pieces. Cover, lower the heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Turn the heat off, then and add the parsley and fennel sprigs to the stock. Cover and allow to cool. Once cooled, strain the stock from the vegetables making sure to compress the vegetables to get every ounce of stock out of them. Store in the refrigerator or freeze for a later use.