Turnip, Yes Turnip, Soup

I bought a beautiful bunch of turnips at the farmer's market, but had no idea what I wanted to do with them.  After a discussion with a friend of what I had in the house, an idea was formulated.....turnip butternut squash soup.  I really wasn't sure how to proceed, but the results were mind blowing.  One of the best soups I have ever made.

                   
Turnip Butternut Squash Soup

-= Ingredients =-
3 cups Butternut squash ; peeled and cubed
3 cups Turnips ; peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon Salt
1/4 cup Butter
1 large Onion ; diced
5 cloves Garlic ; minced
1 tablespoon Sage
1 tablespoon Smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 quart Beef stock

-= Instructions =-
1.  Place the butternut squash, turnips and salt in a large stockpot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer 20 minutes until the turnips are tender.  Drain the squash and turnips.

2.  Melt the butter in a large heavy stockpot.  Saute the onions and garlic until transparent.  Add sage, pepper and smoked paprika.  Add the drained squash and turnips to the pot.  Simmer on low 20 minutes.

3.  Puree the vegetables.  I use an immersion blender, but you can use a regular blender of food processor in small batches.

4.  Add the beef stock to the vegetables in the pot and simmer on low another 10 minutes.

My Favorite Potato Soup Recipe

My favorite vegetarian cookbook is Recipes for a Small Planet by Ellen Buchman Ewald.  I have gone through multiple copies of this cookbook, and it will always be on my bookshelf.  It is now out of print, so keep your eye out for used copies.  

One of my favorite recipes in this cookbook is this recipe for potato soup, Luscious Potato Soup.  It is an inexpensive and filling meal with a good whole-grain bread on the side.

Small Planet Potato Soup

Ingredients 
1/4 cup Oil
2 cups Onion ; chopped
1 cup Carrots ; diced
1 cup Celery ; chopped
6 medium Potatoes ; diced
1 quart Stock
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Marjoram
1 teaspoon Dill Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Caraway Seed
1 1/2 cups Milk Powder ; (2 cups instant)

Instructions
1. Saute the onions, carrots, celery and potatoes in oil until the onions are transparent.

2.  Add the stock, salt and spices bring to a boil and cover.  Cook for 20 minutes in a pressure cooker, or simmer in a large pot for 1 hour until the potatoes are tender.

3.  Dissolve the milk powder in a couple of cups of the soup liquid.  I use a wisk to make sure I don't have any lumps.  Pour the milk mixture into the pot and serve.