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Puree of Turnips
Pare and wash half a dozen large sound turnips, and split them into halves, or even into quarters. Boil them till they are very tender, and press the water thoroughly from them. Pass them through a hair sieve, and put them back into the saucepan. Dredge a small quantity of flour over them, and add a little white pepper and salt, a slice of butter, 1/2 teaspoonful of white sugar, and a quarter of a pint of cream or milk. Stir them over the fire until they are quite dry and stiff. Serve the puree in the centre of a dish, and arrange cutlets, etc., neatly round it. Some cooks add a little grated nutmeg or a little powdered ginger to turnip puree. Time to simmer with the cream, about ten minutes; to boil, from three-quarters of an hour to an hour and a half, according to age and size.
A straightforward turnip puree in the Victorian manner, thickened by evaporation rather than by starch. The one thing to get right is the drying: the puree must be stirred until it holds its shape, or it will slump on the dish.
- QuantitySix large turnips is a great deal — roughly 3 lb trimmed, serving eight or more. For four people, halve it.
- A quarter of a pintIn the British measure of this book that is about 5 fl oz, so a generous half cup of cream or milk. Cream gives the sturdier result; milk needs longer drying.
- Which turnip"Turnip" here may mean either the white summer turnip or the swede (rutabaga). Both work; swede is sweeter and takes the ginger particularly well.
- Boiling timeThree-quarters of an hour to an hour and a half assumes large, mature, possibly woody roots. Young turnips in quarters are tender in 15–20 minutes. Test with a knife rather than watching the clock.
- Pressing and sievingSqueezing the water out is not optional — turnips hold a lot of it, and wet puree will not stiffen. A hair sieve was a sieve with a woven horsehair mesh, usually in a round wooden frame; a food mill or a ricer does the same job. A food processor tends to give a slack, pasty texture.
- The flourA dredging is a light dusting, perhaps a teaspoon or two. It absorbs residual liquid; cook it a minute or two in the pan so it does not taste raw.
- Drying the pureeStir over moderate heat, uncovered, about ten minutes, until it pulls away from the sides of the pan. It scorches easily at this stage, so keep it moving.
- ServingThe dish is built as a plated centrepiece with cutlets ringed around it; the recipe does not say which meat. It serves equally well as a plain side.