Torchi — turnips with lemon and harissa

pareve Tunisian Jewish · easy · 40 min, including 15 hands-on

The turnip kemia of Tunis: thin half-moons of raw turnip, salted to draw out moisture, then marinated in lemon juice, garlic, caraway and a touch of harissa. No cooking is involved: crisp, tangy and mildly spicy, ready in a few hours.

Ingredients for two

Method

1. Peel the turnips, halve lengthways, then cut each half into half-moons 2–3 mm thick, using a mandoline or a sharp knife: the thinner the slices, the faster they will pickle. Put them in a mixing bowl, sprinkle with the salt, mix by hand and leave for 20 minutes to draw out the moisture: the turnips should release a small pool of water and bend without breaking.
2. Meanwhile, squeeze the lemon into a bowl to give about 50 g juice. Peel the garlic clove and crush it in a garlic press, then add to the juice with the harissa and caraway; mix with a fork until the harissa dissolves. For pink torchi, finely grate the piece of raw beetroot and add it.
3. Take the turnips in handfuls and squeeze firmly over the sink to remove the released water; do not rinse, as the remaining salt provides the seasoning. Put them in the jar with the lemon marinade, mix to coat every slice, then press down lightly: the juice should rise almost to the level of the turnips.
4. Close the jar and refrigerate for 2–4 hours, turning it over once halfway through. The turnips are ready when the slices are flexible, translucent at the edges but still crisp in the centre, distinctly tangy and, if beetroot was added, pink all the way across.
5. Serve cold, 60–80 g per person in a small ramekin, lightly drained, with a drizzle of uncooked olive oil. Keep the remaining turnips in their jar, in their juices, for later meals.

On your plate

Cooking tips

The 2–4 hours of marinating are not included in the stated time: make the torchi in the morning or the day before, when it will taste even better. Torchi is not eaten on its own: serve it with one or two other kemias, such as mechouia salad, cracked olives or cumin carrots, tucked into a sabich or alongside couscous. It keeps for 5–6 days in the refrigerator in a closed jar, with the turnips in their juices: one jar is enough for two or three evenings. In Tunis, it is also made with Seville orange juice when in season: replace the lemon with an equal weight. Taste the marinade before pouring it over: it should be distinctly sour and salty, as the turnips will mellow it.

Equipment : 750 ml jar with a lid, mixing bowl, garlic press

A kemia of the Jews of Tunis, torchi or 'turnips with lemon': raw turnips salted to draw out moisture and marinated with lemon, harissa and caraway, served with mechouia and olives.