Great-Grandmother Lillie's Turnip Soup

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Title: Great-Grandmother Lillie's Turnip Soup
Categories: Soups
Yield: 4 Servings

1 lb White turnips
1/2 lb Lean salt pork
1 qt Water
Salt & pepper to taste
3 T White cornmeal or polenta
1/4 c Heavy cream (minimum 36 %
Milkfat)

Gently but thoroughly scrub the turnips under cold running
water. Trim off the root ends and the green tops. Young turnips do
not need to be peeled, but they may be peeled.
Cut turnips into slices a little thicker than a quarter of an
inch, set aside.
Rinse the salt pork and put it in a 3-quart soup kettle with the
water. Turn heat to medium-low and bring the water slowly to just
below the boiling point carefully skimming off the scum as it rises.
Lower the heat to a bare simmer and cook the pork gently for about an
hour.
Raise the heat to medium-high and add the sliced turnips. Let
the liquid come back to a boil, skim it again and then reduce the
heat to low. Simmer until the turnips are tender, about 20 to 30
minutes. Discard the pork and skim off any excess fat floating on top
of the broth.
Remove turnips with a slotted spoon. Cut a cup of them into
cubes and rub the remainder through a colander or food mill. Add
both of them back to the broth. Let the soup come back to a simmer,
taste, correct the salt and add a liberal grinding of black pepper.
Take the cornmeal or polenta meal in your hand, and stirring the
soup constantly, let the meal fall into the soup in a thin stream
between your fingers. Never stop stirring or the meal will lump up.
Let simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Leave it to simmer
for about five minutes more, then if you like, stir in the optional
cream. Heat through about two minutes more, then serve at once.


Indianapolis Star
20 December 1995

Submitted by John Hartman
Indianapolis, IN 1996

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