Turnip Ginger Soup with Greens & Ham

Thanksgiving soups are erring on the butternut squash side this season. I thought it might be nice to try something different... 

 Turnip and ginger are magical together and I make a foam at work to go alongside monk fish that has this combonation. I find myself tasting the foam over and over throughout the day. And finally the idea hit: why not just make it into a soup at home and slurp it up at leisure?

This soup has lots of enticing layers; it's earthy, sweet, spicy, smokey, and a little bitter with the greens. 

The recipe is simple and can be made the day before. Just add the garnishes before serving. If turnip greens happen to come along with the turnips (they didn't for me) use those in place of the bitter greens or add them in. 

Turnip Ginger Soup with Greens & Ham

Serves 4

5 medium turnips, peeled and quartered

1 large nub of fresh ginger, about 4-inches long, peeled and chopped small

5 T butter

10 1/4-inch slices of uncured ham

3 handfuls of stir fry greens: kale, chard, turnip greens, bok choy, whatever

3 T Olive oil

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1. In a medium pot add turnips, butter, and ginger. Cover with water by 1/2-inch. If too much water is added all the flavor of the ginger and turnips will be lost in unused broth when it is puréed. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium-high heat until turnips are easily pierced with a knife tip.

2. Purée turnips and ginger in a food processor adding the cooking liquid little by little until the desired consistency is reached. If necessary add a little more water. Season with salt. Transfer to a pot to reheat in.

3. Set oven to 250˚F. Place ham slices on a baking sheet and bake until crisp. About 15 minutes. Reserve.

4. In a large non-stick skillet heat 3 T of olive oil on medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, and is hot add greens in and gently stir. Add 2T of water (and be careful it will sputter) and gently stir some more. When leaves are wilted remove from heat and season with salt.

5. Reheat soup and ladle into bowls. Add greens decoratively, top with ham slices, and give a twist of fresh pepper across the top. 

Comments

[La Loutre]

Its so funny, i did the same thing for my birthday? it was so good. I still have the flavor on my tongue.

[Boo Radley 4000AD]

Still curious: what camera do you use for the macro photography?

[wattacetti]

Hiya Chef,

I see that's a Panasonic TZ4 you're using to shoot these photos (good optics).

Another great recipe, and I can imagine playing around with spherification to make the soup into an amuse. I guess I could even glaze the sphere with ham fat just to give that hint of porky goodness.

What are you using for uncured ham? I regularly crisp slices of jamon serrano (mostly as a first step to eventually turn it into powder) but they're considerably thinner.

[bb]

Hi Ms Glaze. Sounds wonderful and will try it. And trust me, not that I'm complaining, just curious because it's great, but there have been a flurry of posts lately. Are you not working any more and how do you find the time?

:) bb

[Ms. Glaze]

Yup, I'm using the Linux TZ4 however, the newer one is amazing. It's not an SLR camera, but it has a lot of the same features and more manual options.

As for the ham question; I bought this little uncured ham at whole foods and it was delicious. I wish I kept the wrapper! Of course jamon serrano would be even more divine.

I know I've been turning out a lot of recipes, hope it's not flooding anyone's inbox too much? But I've been cooking the lunch shift, so I have time to make something at night. And, I'm hungry when I get home so I might as well make something for me and for you ;-)

[Boo Radley 4000AD]

Thanks for the camera info - your photography is really good. I seek to emulate it with my Casio, unsuccessfully so far!

[hellen]

dear，i'm a marketing student,rencently we have a project about French food, we decided write something about Madeleine. we are all foriengers and no idear about French Food Culture, would you tell me which brand or store is the most famous Madeleine brand? thx a million.

[Ms. Glaze]

Hellen! I wish I could help you out on the brands of Madleine's but I'm afraid I don't know. I will be more than happy to give you a recipe and some info on the history if you would like?!?!

[hellen]

dear Ms Glaze，Our project is mainly aimed at markets，imagin HERMERS will establish a food line，we want to know some information about Madeleines on the French market，such as :Which brand are occupy major market share, especially in the luxury top level,
Or the current market situation on the Madeleines sales. Do you know what’s the price range. Our compotitors we have choosen Fauchon and Ladurée ,because all info is in checked on line ,so I don’t know wheather it is exact. Would you give some suggest？ Thx a million.

[derek]

I have to say that I was a little disappointed in this one after the grapefruit scallops and curry oil fish dishes. Luckily, it involved basically zero work.

[Ms. Glaze]

Derek, not to sound cocky, but I don't believe that you actually made the recipe. Either that or you don't like turnips. The flavors here are soulful and I have made it for company serveral times to rave reviews. And yes, it's simple. Isn't that wonderful?!?!?!

[micro m2 16gb]

Hi Ms Glaze. Sounds wonderful and will try it. Ginger soup would be wonderful in this chilly cold weather.

[free guestbook]

certified mouthwatering. love this a lot.

[signs of heart attack]

Ginger has a good amount of antioxidants, so important in sport to prevent aging. Its expectorant action is also extensible to treat colds and the consequent improvement in the state of breathing. Of course it's not a miracle food, but if that proper use can alleviate some symptoms bothersome when the time comes.

[Retro Jordans]

The things attracte me in your blog is what you write and the style you demonstrate. Thank you. Best wishes to you.

[air jordan 1]

To the world you may be one person,but to one person you may be the world.
Have you finded the person?

[Jenna Schrock]

Hmmm… I guess this recipe fits me since I can't eat solid foods for this week because I had my dental implant in Los Angeles last week. I'll include your recipe in my meal plan. I'm so lucky because I'll taste new food.