pale ale

Christmas has passed and we’re all beginning to feel the pinch, either in the wallet or around the top button of the jeans! So why not treat yourself to some cheap, easy to make and heartily nutritious soup? Here’s a recipe for a cockle warming Turnip soup.

You’ll need:

5 – 6 small turnips,
1 – 2 potatoes,
1 onion,
1 tbsp Dijon mustard,
Sage (fresh, naturally),
500ml – 1 Litre of water,
Rapeseed oil,

Garnish:

3 – 6 fried sage leaves

Begin by roasting the turnips (skin on) in a bit of oil and a crunch or two of salt. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan) and cook for at least half an hour, checking after 20 minutes and tossing around so they get equal coverage. When they’re done they should be soft enough to run a knife through with little to no resistance. The skins should have browned a bit too. At this point you can allow them to cool a bit while you get on with the base of the soup.

Using a Le Creuset or similar cast iron pan, chop the onion and fry in a little rapeseed oil until soft. Cube the potatoes (skin on or off, depending on how smooth you want the soup to be) and add to the pot. Add the mustard, then the turnips and let them get coated before adding the water. Pour the water (I like to pre-boil the water in the kettle) over until the vegetables are covered and bring to a gentle boil. You’ll want to keep the soup on a medium heat rather than boil it to death.

As the turnips were roasted with a little salt be careful with the seasoning at this point. Season with plenty of black pepper, roughly chop a handful of sage leaves and stir those in too. Leave to simmer for twenty minutes or so, until the potatoes are cooked. When they’re done remove from the heat and whizz the whole thing up with a stick blender until smooth.

For the garnish, simply fry the sage leaves in a little oil until dark green and crispy.

I served it with a Nøgne Ø pale ale and a hearty, dense loaf of seeded rye from Brød, Cardiff.

Enjoy!