Creamy Turnip and Arugula Soup

Now that summer squash season is finally over, I thought it safe to purchase another CSA box of mystery organic vegetables.

It came stuffed to the brim with various sorts of greens. Despite a list of "what's tentatively in your box this week," I have yet to identify everything. One bunch is definitely curly kale, and one was definitely red mustard greens (I cooked them; they turned everything an enchanting shade of purple), and one is cilantro (I have no idea what to do with a giant-ass bunch of cilantro, especially since Boyfriend Unit is one of those people who thinks it tastes like soap). Two others have me completely flummoxed. One I decided was arugula.

Also in the box: two smallish turnips, two avocados, and a daikon radish. I still don't know what to do with the daikon radish, a thing which I typically encounter as a sushi garnish.

The turnips and the arugula went into this soup, which turned out delightfully and which I assume is relatively not bad for you:



Creamy Turnip and Arugula Soup (makes...I don't know, 4 servings? Since when do I measure anything?)

2 smallish or 1 giant mutant turnip (I usually find grocery store turnips to be giant mutants)
1 medium russet potato
1 can vegetable broth
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 1/2 cups milk (adjust as needed)
2 large handfuls arugula, washed, destemmed, and shredded, and mostly dry
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel and chop turnip(s) and potato
2. Heat olive oil on stove in pot; add garlic, turnips, and potatoes and let soften a bit
3. Add vegetable broth, cover, and simmer until vegetables are soft
4. Puree the hell out of vegetables, slowly adding milk until desired consistency is reached. (NOTE: The puree is pretty creamy without the milk, so it would probably still be pretty creamy soup if you wanted to go vegan and make this with more vegetable broth)
5. Return to stove, on low heat. Add arugula and simmer until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. I needed no additional salt, thanks to the canned vegetable broth.
6. Voila.

The assumption was that adding the potato and slightly cooking the arugula would tone down the sharpness of both arugula and turnips. The assumption was pretty correct.



Next experiment: What to do with the yams which were purchased, but not cooked, for Thanksgiving?