Improvising Vegetable Soups

Suppose, for example, that a neighbor has given you a bucket of turnips and you want to turn them into a soup. You must first decide if you want the turnips to remain whole or chopped in the soup or if you want to make a pureed soup. If the turnips are to remain chunky, you might want to round out the flavors and texture of the soup by adding chopped or diced complementary vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips, carrots, or celeriac. A good tip to remember also is that smoked or cured meats go well with root vegetables; you may want to render a little bacon, pancetta, or ham at the beginning.