Ingredients:

2 purple-topped turnips, cubed
1 1/2 cup cubed Russet potatoes (1-2 potatoes)
1 cup 1/4 inch dice garlic chives
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
2 cups large cubed ham*
2 quarts ham or chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme
1 lb chopped turnip greens

Directions:
Saute the turnips, potatoes, garlic chives, garlic, onion, and ham in a large pot until the onion is translucent. Add stock and seasoning. Simmer the stock until the potatoes and turnips are tender. Stir in the greens and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serves: about 8

*I used this boneless ham.

My thoughts:

I love turnip greens! I was so excited to see pre-chopped turnip greens in the supermarket the other day. I prefer buying turnips with the greens attached but it isn’t quite turnip season here yet and to be honest, cut greens are so much quicker when cooking on a weeknight and taste the same. I did have to buy my turnips separately but pretty much any supermarket sells them. The garlic chives are surprisingly easy to find as well but regular chives could be subbed in. If you can find them though the garlic chives add a subtle garlic flavor that pairs really well with the turnip greens.

For some reason, I don’t think turnips are very popular. It’s a shame because they have such a fresh peppery flavor and hold their shape in soups but also are great mashed. The greens have a peppery bite too and you can cook them pretty much as you would collards but you don’t have to take the rib out before cooking them. They are milder than mustard greens too and can be used in any recipe that calls for them.