Recipe: Turnip-Pear Soup

Pears with roasted turnips does make a yummy and unusual soup.

Choose less ripe or unripe pears.

Finish the soup with crumbled seasoned walnuts and serve with a light salad or sandwiches.

Turnip-Pear Soup

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the soup:

• 500 gm roughly chopped shalgam or turnips or substitute with parsnip
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt to taste, about 1 ½
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 large white onion or 2-3 small white onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 pears, peeled, cored, roughly chopped
• 3½ cups vegetable stock (please see the note below)
• 2½ cups milk
• 75 gm walnuts, ground in the food processor

For the smoky walnut garnish:

• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (please see the note below)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 50 gm California walnuts
• 1 tbsp chopped chives or substitute with 1 tbsp finely chopped greens of spring onions
• Drizzle walnut oil, for garnish

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Place the chopped turnips  on a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the thyme, season with the salt, pepper, and toss to coat evenly.
  Roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes, until golden brown and tender.

For the smoky walnut garnish:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, paprika, soy sauce.
  Add the walnuts and toss until well coated.
  Spread the coated walnuts on a small baking tray and roast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
  Take out of the oven, cool and then roughly chop.

For the soup:

• In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion.
  Sauté until soft and translucent.
  Add the pears and cook for a further 8–10 minutes.
  Now mix in the roasted turnips, vegetable stock.
  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
  Pour in the milk and blend, using a hand blender, until smooth and silky.
  Stir in the ground walnuts and take off heat.

To serve:

• Ladle the soup into bowls.
  Garnish with the smoky walnut topping, chopped chives.
  Finish with a drizzle of the walnut oil and serve warm.

Editor's Note: Smoked paprika has a very strong taste that does not appeal to some. Use regular paprika instead.

Liquid broth is available in some gourmet food stores. Or substitute the vegetable broth by combining 1½ vegetable soup cube or 1½ vegetable broth/bouillon cube or 1½ tsp vegetable broth/bouillon powder with 3 cups boiling water.

Or make chicken broth by combining 1½ chicken soup cube or 1½ chicken broth/bouillon cube or 1½ tsp chicken broth/bouillon powder with 3 cups boiling water.

Or make vegetable broth from scratch by boiling 4-5 cups water with 1-2 large roughly chopped carrots, 3 stalks roughly chopped celery with leaves, 2 medium onions chopped in chunks, 5-6 whole black peppercorns, 2 tsp salt, 4 tbsp chopped parsley with stems, 2 laung or cloves, 5 pods garlic, 2 tej patta or bay leaves till vegetables are tender and the water is steeped with the flavour of the vegetables and spices.
Strain and use 3 cups for the recipe and freeze the rest for later use.

Meat lovers might like to add 1 whole chicken along with the vegetables and spices while making this broth from scratch.

Recipe: Kind courtesy California Walnuts

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