Stuffed Turnips In Cider Recipe

Recipe Ingredients

4 medium turnips
1 medium red bell pepper
1 salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp fresh tarragon or
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, packed, or
1/4 tsp dried thyme (scant ts.)
8 oz lean ground lamb
2 tbsp dried currants
1 small onion, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 slice white bread, crumbled
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cup extra-dry apple cider
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream*
1 rice (opt'l.)

*If you want to serve these turnips over rice, increase the amount of
cream to 1 cup, so there will be plenty of sauce to moisten the rice.

Preheat the broiler.

Peel the turnips. Using a melon baller or a stiff vegetable peeler,
hollow them out, leaving the sides and bottom approximately 3/8"
thick. Reserve the turnip pulp for another use, such as adding to a
soup or salad. Blanch the turnip shells in boiling salted water to
cover until they have softened slightly, 2 to
3 minutes. Drain; set aside.

Place the red pepper on a piece of aluminum foil under the broiler and
roast it, turning it as the skin blisters and turns black, which will
take 15 minutes. Remove the pepper from the broiler, wrap it in the
foil, and set it aside to steam, 10 to 15 minutes. When it is cool
enough to handle, peel it and remove the membranes and the seeds. Cut
the pepper into 1/2" wide strips.

Line each hollowed-out turnip with three strips of red pepper, then
season with salt and pepper. DIce any remaining pepper strips.

Mince the tarragon and thyme. In a medium-size bowl, combine the
lamb, currants, onion, herbs, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Add the egg,
bread and diced pepper; mix well. To check the seasoning, saute a
teaspoonful of the filling in a small pan over medium-high heat.
Adjust seasoning to taste. Fill the turnips with the stuffing,
mounding it slightly at the top.

Melt butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. When it
is foaming but not smoking, brown the turnips on all sides. (This is
a bit tricky because the turnips tend to roll around, but it is
possible and does make a big difference to the dish.)

When the turnips have browned, set them upright in the pan; pour the
cider around them. Add the bay leaf and bring the cider to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and let simmer until the stuffing
is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the turnips from the pan
and arrange them on a serving dish. Cover with aluminum foil and
keep warm in a low (200 F.) oven.

Reduce cooking liquid by one third over medium-high heat, 5 minutes.
Then whisk in the cream and continue to cook until the sauce has
thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and
pour around the turnips. Serve immediately.

1987 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon goes well with this.

From _Farm House Cookbook_ by Susan Herrmann Loomis. New York: Workman
Publishing Company, Inc., 1991. Pp. 247-248. ISBN 0-89480-772-2.
Electronic format by Cathy Harned.

Servings: 4

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