I love it when I discover a new taste, and this one had been hiding right in front of me: raw turnips!
In my opinion, the turnip is greatly under-appreciated. Previously, I had only eaten cooked turnips, and I’ll admit – they are not my favorite root veggie. So imagine my delight when, in a brief crazy moment, I bit into a crispy slice of raw turnip. And loved it! I grabbed the grater and got going grating and nibbling. I found the flavor of a raw turnip is completely different than its cooked flavor. The raw turnips have a gentle heat, almost spicy, and it’s quite unexpected.
Turnips are rather pretty with their white and lavender-pink blush color. I tend to forget they are a spring vegetable, but they are buddies with radishes. In fact, this has been quite a season of discovery for me with eating raw turnips and roasted radishes. Always exciting to shake things up a bit!
As I grated turnips and carrots and chopped a fragrant pile of fresh herbs, a slaw of sorts evolved. I found it to be a refreshing change to traditional coleslaw made with cabbage and a terrific side dish for barbecue season. Now I’m looking for more ways to enjoy turnips ... I recall munching on pickled pink turnips in Israel, so perhaps that will be the next venture?
Turnip & Carrot Slaw
Serves 8-10
2 pounds turnips (about 2 large ones)
4 medium carrots
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cut any roots or rough ends off of the turnips and carrots. Slice into smaller chunks and grate by hand or in a food processor. Spoon the turnips and carrots into a large serving bowl. Add the green onions, mint leaves and parsley and gently toss.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk the garlic, vinegar, mustard and poppy seeds together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the dressing over the slaw and gently toss. Taste for salt and pepper. Leave the slaw to sit for about an hour before serving to let the flavors mix. Serve chilled or room temperature.
