Rutabaga 101 Never heard of it? Discover this gem
How to store: Store in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge for several weeks. Larger rutabagas are often woody and have stronger flavors than smaller ones. How to Prep: Peel the skin and trim off the top and root beard. Love whole (if small enough) or chop to desired size. Rutabagas can be baked, roasted, boiled, braised, steamed, stir-fried, or microwaved. Cook them with potatoes and mash together. The leaves are also edible and can be braised or added into sauce and stews. Rutabagas have very large greens, which are also edible. Best Uses: Sliced or grated in Salads Raw on vegetable tray Pureed or mashed Sautéed in olive oil Roasted Pie Soups and stews Pickled Gratin Fries or Chips Braised Substitutes: Turnips How to Freeze: To freeze, you ll need to blanch them first. 1. Wash rutabaga in cold water and trim the tops and bottoms. 2. Peel and dice into smaller pieces. 3. Blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. 4. Quickly remove and dunk them into a bowl of ice water for 2 minutes. 5. Drain well and place in a freezer bag to freeze.
4 Ways to Eat Rutabaga 1. Roasted Like all root vegetables, rutabagas really shine when they are roasted. Toss with olive oil, garlic, or ginger, your favorite spices, and you re in for a treat! Mix them with some other root veggies, and you ve got a winner! 2. Braised Rutabagas are great for braising. They absorb the flavorful braising liquid, mellow out, and become sweet and juicy. Add them into your next veggie stew. 3. Pickled or fermented Rutabagas can be pickled and fermented but still retain a refreshing crunch. Add them to your next homemade batch of kimchi. 4. Boiled Boiled and mashed, these make a delicious puree when seasoned.
Suggested Recipes: Rutabaga in Mustard Sauce Adapted from Mark Bittman 2 T. extra virgin olive oil 1 1/2 lbs. rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 t. sugar 1 c. chicken or veggie stock 2 T. Dijon mustard Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add the rutabagas and sprinkle with salt and pepper. cook for about 10 minutes until they soften and begin to get a bit brown. Add the sugar and chicken stock (just enough to cover the rutabaga) and bring it to a boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the rutabagas are sitting in a syrupy liquid. Reduce the heat and add mustard. Stir until dissolved. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot.
Squash And Root Vegetable Slaw Adapted from Kay Chun. It s a big salad, and requires waiting overnight. Serves 8. Ingredients 1½ cups shredded raw butternut squash 1½ cups rutabaga, shredded 1½ cups sweet potatoes, shredded 1½ cups shredded raw celery root 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 2 apples, peeled, quartered, cored, cut into matchstick-size pieces 1 cup fresh parsley leaves ½ cup chives, cut into 1-inch pieces ¾ cup Granny Smith Apple Cider Vinaigrette see recipe below Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Combine butternut, rutabaga, and sweet potatoes in a large resealable plastic bag. Chill overnight in fridge. Place celery root in a large bowl of water, top with lemon juice, and cover. Chill overnight in fridge. The next day: drain celery root. Put all the chilled, shredded vegetables into a large bowl. Stir in apple matchsticks, parsley, and chives. Add Granny Smith Apple Cider Vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Granny Smith Apple Cider Vinaigrette: Purée 1 chopped Granny Smith apple (with core and peel), 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice in a blender, occasionally scraping down sides of blender with a spatula, until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pressing down on solids with spatula to extract all juice; discard solids. Whisk in 1 tablespoon minced shallot and 1 teaspoon raw sugar. Whisk in 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil until well blended. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Rutabaga Vegetable Puree Try mixing in some mashed potatoes too! 1 1/2 lbs rutabaga salt 2 T. extra virgin olive oil (or butter works too) Freshly ground black pepper 2 T. sour cream (optional) parsley (optional garnish) Peel and trim rutabaga. Cut into 1 inch pieces and put them in a pot with salt water to cover. Boil rutabagas until tender about 10 minutes. Drain rutabagas well and reserve some of the cooking liquid. Put the rutabaga through a food mill or blend with an immersion blender, using some of the cooking liquid to help you get a consistent puree. Add olive oil or butter. Add salt, pepper and optional sour cream to taste. Serve immediately warm, or cool and reheat for later.
Baked Rutabaga Disks with Honey Adapted from Marian Morash 2 medium rutabaga 4 T. butter 1/4 c. honey Peel the rutabaga and trim the ends. Slice into 1/2 inch slices. Melt the butter in the microwave and brush it onto a baking sheet. Brush the rutabaga with butter and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Turn the disks. Coat them with honey. Bake another 15 minutes, turning them half-way and basting them again with butter and honey. The rutabaga will develop a darkened glaze.
Rutabaga Pie Adapted from the Victory Garden Cookbook This is REALLY good! 3/4 lb. rutabaga 1 apple 1 pear 1 T. honey 1/2 t. ground coriander 1/4 t. ground ginger 1/2 t. salt 2 eggs 2 T. brown sugar 1 c. light cream 9 inch pie shell, partially baked Peel rutabaga and cut into large chunks. Peel apple and pear. Cut in half, removing the cores. (Save the peels). Put the apple and pear peels in a pot with one inch of water to prepare the steamer. Steam rutabaga in a steamer basket over this water for 15 minutes. Then add the apple and pear halves to the basket and steam for 15 more minutes. You want the rutabaga to be soft. Remove rutabaga, apple and pear and puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Add in the honey, spices and salt and mix well. Beat eggs in a separate small bowl and add the brown sugar. Mix well. Add the rutabaga/pear/apple puree into the eggs, mixing well. Then add in the cream and stir until combined. Pour into the pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. Turn heat down to 350 F and bake 30 more minutes until it is set. The pie will look like a light-orange colored pumpkin pie.
Smashed Rutabaga with Ginger Pears 4 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes Nonstick vegetable oil spray 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 3 firm pears (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, cored, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream 5 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme Coarse kosher salt Cook rutabagas in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine oil, lemon juice, ginger, and sugar in large bowl. Add pears; toss to coat. Spread on prepared sheet. Roast until tender, turning pears every 10 minutes, about 35 minutes total. Drain rutabagas; return to same pot. Mash to coarse puree. Add cream, butter, and thyme. Top with pears. Season with salt and pepper.