By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(165)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A simple French soup that works well regardless of which vegetable gets the emphasis.
This is a simple French soup. If you want to vary the proportions of vegetables you can; it works well whether you emphasize the turnips, as I do here, the leeks or the potatoes. Turnips have a slightly bitter edge, and tarragon makes a lovely sweet garnish. Chives would also work.
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Ingredients
Yield:16 to 18 demitasse servings or 8 bowls
- 1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1medium onion, chopped
- 2large leeks, white and light green part only, halved lengthwise, cleaned and sliced or chopped
- Salt to taste
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 2pounds turnips, peeled and diced
- 1large russet potato (about ¾ pound), peeled and diced
- 2quarts water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh tarragon and/or chives for garnish
Garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
200 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 2041 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the onion, leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the turnips, potatoes, water or stock, salt to taste, and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender and the soup is fragrant. Remove and discard the bouquet garni.
Step
2
Blend the soup in batches in a blender (cover the top with a towel and hold it down to avoid hot splashes), or through a food mill fitted with the fine blade. The soup should be very smooth. Strain if desired. Return to the pot. Stir and taste. Adjust salt, add freshly ground pepper, and heat through. Serve in small bowls or espresso cups, garnished with chopped fresh tarragon and/or chives.
Tip
- Advance preparation: You can make this a day or two ahead and reheat. The soup can be frozen, but you will need to blend it again when you thaw it.
Ratings
4
out of 5
165
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Cooking Notes
Sara
This was really good! I used mostly broth with some water to fill it out, and I was pretty generous with the thyme. I also changed the ratios a bit according to what I had on hand (more leeks and potatoes, fewer turnips). It had a lovely consistency (I used a food processor to blend) and a ton of flavor. We garnished with more parsley.
Pizza Quixote
I've made this type of soup often, and you are generally rewarded by experimenting with root vegetables (parsnips, carrots, turnips, rutabaga, taro, etc) as well as garden herbs, fresh or dry (sage, parsley). If you want it creamy without a lot of added fat, adding a can of evaporated whole milk is a nice twist.
sledwell
Not bad, I added chicken stock and sherry (as someone else suggested) - it added depth. Skipped creme fraiche.
Kristin
Gosh; really expected more from this recipe. Bland, unappetizing color, needed a ton of doctoring (shredded cheese, fried lardons, chopped herbs) to make palatable. Wouldn’t make again.
SweetDisaster
Add extra salt and rosemary for flavoring. Add some roasted chicken to make a complete dish.
Lily
This is a lovely soup, with delicate flavors, perfect for winter. I will definitely make again whenever I have turnips.
wwicks
Just okay. I probably won't make it again.This is fairly bland when made and served as-written. It benefits from a health dose of salt and garlic powder. I also doctored it up with some Penzey's Justice blend, and that helped some. I think adding a few hearty glugs of cream would also help.
Energy Guy
Yes, as written here, it comes out a little bland. I made it more to my taste by adding 1 tsp thyme and 1 tsp tarragon (in addition to the tarragon used as a garnish). I used 4 cloves garlic instead of 2. I also included the first 2" of the dark green of the leeks. I'm not much on turnips, so I substituted parsnips.
Cynthia
Substituted daikon for the turnips as what I had available. Threw in a couple of brusels sprouts. Not very flavorful so went to one of my favorite recipes, Saxe-Coburg Soup, a brussels sprouts soup in Great British Cooking by Jane Garmey, and added cream and sherry at the end.
atl mom
No flavor at all. Will not make again
Mary
I made this and it was delicious! I only used fresh thyme and it was delicious. FWIW I blended the soup and tried some blended and some before I blended - and I ended up liking the non-blended version better. Here's the nutrition label for this exact recipe:
David T
Used a tablespoon of herbs de Provence, a tablespoon of dried thyme & a bay leaf because I didn’t have fresh herbs on hand. Turned out very well. Will definitely make again.
nancy ogden
no flavor! help!
DNcgo
Adding 1 tbs. ground turmeric to the softened onion/leek mixture adds a punch to both flavor and color.
Cindy C
Instead of the full 2 lbs of turnips, I used 1-1/2 lbs. of turnips, a small potato and 1/2 head of cauliflower. I also added 1/4+ tsp of tarragon and left the bay leaf, thyme and parsley intact instead of removing them.Additionally, I added 1/2 TBLS. of balsamic vinegar.As a garnish I added some sour cream when served.Excellent soup! If I didn't know better I'd swear that it was a cream of turnip soup.
Cindy C
I made this soup again using the recipe above but then I realized I also added 3/4 tsp. Ethopian Berbere spice which added much needed flavor.
Pizza Quixote
I've made this type of soup often, and you are generally rewarded by experimenting with root vegetables (parsnips, carrots, turnips, rutabaga, taro, etc) as well as garden herbs, fresh or dry (sage, parsley). If you want it creamy without a lot of added fat, adding a can of evaporated whole milk is a nice twist.
Eltee
Brilliant recipe that introduced me to the world of soups. If followed word by word with some help from YouTube on how to clean and pare veggies etc , it yields beautiful results. Ive seen the potato needs to be really small as it affects the taste of the soup.
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