Washing & Prepping

Be sure to thoroughly wash turnip greens before cooking. Fill a sink with cold water, and completely submerge the leaves to remove any dirt. Remove the tough inner stems from the cleaned leaves, and roughly chop into 1- or 2-inch pieces. You might not be able to get the lid on a pot full of uncooked greens, but they cook down quickly. Plan to prepare about 2 pounds of chopped greens to serve four to six people.

Perfect Pairings

Cooking turnip greens "low and slow" with a ham hock gives them a yummy, smoky, hard-to-beat flavor. You can also shred any meat remaining on the ham hock and add back to the greens at the end of cooking. Many people add a touch of sugar to cut the bitter taste. And for serving, be sure to have hot pepper jelly or pepper vinegar on the table.

Don't Forget the Roots

The turnip root, which ranges in color from brilliant shades of purple and red to white, can be trimmed, peeled, diced, and cooked along with the greens.