Recipe Search: Rutabagas

Good Afternoon,

I have come to terms with my upbringing, and am seeking your collective help to move towards change. I grew up without having much exposure to different fruits and vegetables. I have realized that it is not sustainable to not expand my palate or cooking skill. I am coming to all you good people and asking for your favorite recipes that center around some kind of fruit or vegetable help. I'm going to start these threads all the same with "Recipe Search:" so keep an eye out!

The first installment is a vegetable with a fun name! Rutabagas, also known as swede/tumshie/neep, is a softball sized brassica that enjoys the cool weather. I have seen them, held them, but have never cooked them.

Any suggestions for a good recipe to try that utilizes rutabagas? I'm not the best cook, but I sure do try!

This doesn't especially highlight the rutabaga, but in the fall, we make root-stew with whatever combination of rutabaga, turnip, garlic, carrot, onion, potato, sweet potato, sunchoke, etc that we have on hand. Just chop the roots coarsely (so that each chunk is a bite by itself...they'll soften and wear down some in the stewing), put them into an iron pot with some broth, lid it and put it in the oven at 300F for a couple hours. Check occasionally to make sure things seem right. Maybe add some sausage if you want to. Maybe blend a quarter of it with some cream and put it back.

I look forward to seeing better results from other people.

Oh I'm very interested in seeing what people suggest here! Swedes (I tend to call them neeps or turnips, never heard them called tumshie, there's my new thing for the day!) are one of the things that I have been growing successfully even on pretty poor soil here. Sow in April, harvest whenever they are big enough and through the winter.
We normally have them as a vegetable accompaniment to our dinner, cut into chunks and boiled for about ten minutes till tender. My husband likes them mashed, but I usually can't be bothered (you can add a bit of butter and more seasoning if you like). That's the 'neeps' in haggis neeps and tatties for example, but with sausage, chops, hot meat pie. That doesn't count as a recipe though!
I do add them to curries to bulk out the meal. I've posted my basic curry recipe before here. I would probably add the same volume of swede as meat when cooking this.

I have never eaten a rutabaga though I bet this thread would work:

https://permies.com/t/150350/Turn-Fall-Vegetable-Soup

Not really a recipe, just a tip: rutabagas need to be peeled a bit thickly, in my experience, and then added to any stew. Besides turning soft and juicy, they often change color from beige to gold! That always amuses me.

I agree. Mine end up in soups and stews.  When my mother fixed them, which was rarely, she cooked them to death and mashed them like potatoes.  

Can't see the word 'rutabaga' without hearing Zappa's 'Call Any Vegetable'...no recipes...we throw them in soups.

Now to get that song out of my head.....

Well, rutabagas / swedes are sometimes available from local farmers in winter where I live in the Himalayas, and I'm happy to say I have two different suggestions from the above (though neither of my recipes are local to the Himalayas)

1) Roasted in the oven. When I roast winter vegetables in the oven, my favorites are always rutabaga, winter squash (aka pumpkin), and cauliflower. Any herbs or spices of your choice will work fine. Cut the vegetables in chunks about an inch thick or a bit bigger. Potatoes, beets, and many others are popular for this, but rutabaga and winter squash are always my favorites, very sweet in a good way.

First, sprinkle some salt over the chunks and toss the veg to lightly salt it. Then toss some other herbs or spices in: minced garlic and rosemary is classic, or else this is a great place to use up that curry powder or North African spice mix or whatever is sitting unused on your spice shelf. Finally, toss to cover lightly with some oil of your choice.

Lay out on baking trays -- no need to grease the trays or anything -- and roast in a good hot oven until they are starting to get brown on the corners and edges. My oven doesn't get much over 350F so it takes at least an hour, but I think if you can get yours to 400F it should be faster. If you remember, stir them around with a spatula halfway through cooking. If you find the garlic burns and you don't like it, next time add it at the halfway mark when you stir with a spatula.

2) Chunky winter salad. This works great with large beets and/or rutabagas even if they are going a bit wrinkly in winter storage. I boil them (separately) without even peeling first, like 30 or 40 min. I'm at high altitude and use a pressure cooker for everything so I don't know how long is needed where you are.

Once cooked, dice them up in half inch cubes or smaller -- sometimes they seem to need peeling, and sometimes they seem just fine without peeling. Add some fine chopped red onion, and some other vegetable for interest: diced tomato, or cooked chickpeas, or even canned corn or something. Dress with a vinaigrette made of olive oil, vinegar, salt. If you've got something green to sprinkle over the top, it's nice: chopped parsley or cilantro or chives.

Rutabaga like turnips are frequently added to soups and stews. Cut into cubes and boiled as a side. A good trait is that they keep like a potato.

Now, I will let loose of a little secret only because I feel the rutabaga might be one of the most undervalued vegetables. Most people when confronted with the rutabaga just move on to another vegetable. Peel it. You may want to cut in half so there is a stable flat bottom for slicing very thin. The thinner the better. Olive or coconut oil. Medium heat. After a while, a little curling and brown edges add thin sliced garlic, salt and pepper. Then in a little bit, turn to low. Cook til little brown chips. I eat a bowl of this as main a course.

I read this article earlier in the week - not much of a recipe given, but she does link to a few more: https://www.growforagecookferment.com/how-to-cook-turnips-and-their-greens/

Jane - I think she is cooking with actual turnips not swede/neeps/rutabaga. Mind you, the recipes would probably work just as well with either. JUst at the moment you could certainly cook with the leaves here - they are pretty tiny, but quite tender.

Oops, I forgot that swedes and turnips aren't the same!

Thank you all this is super helpful, I've never had these and want to now that I've got some good cooking ideas!

So what I'm gathering is this might be an excellent addition to a roasted root melody. I'm thinking of incorporating them into a beef stew now.

Thank you everyone! I'm also planning that Winter Salad Rebecca has posted. Looking at the pictures has my stomach growling.

By coincidence  an interesting swede recipe came up in one of my gardening magazines recently. It is by James Strawbridge and came from his recent recipe book

The full recipe is here. Basically you cook the whole peeled swede in a spicy vegetable stock, then spike with cloves and glaze, then roasted to caramelise the coating. It looks rather yummy (although not much like swede)! They suggest serving with cheese and crackers, but I think as a special roast meal accompaniment it would also be rather interesting.

Two yummy british options include mashed rutabagas and potatoes (swede/neeps/turnips depending on where in UK you are) as an accompaniment to Scottish Haggis, and as one of the vegetables in Cornish pasties.

cornish pasty recipe

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/neeps-tatties

I also like mashed swede and carrots mixed together with butter and pepper.

Swede's always taste better with lots of cracked black pepper!

I love rutabaga. I find it similar in taste to parsnip, and could usually swap them in recipes.  Takes well to curry or cream. Try cooking it like”scalloped potatoes:” cut in thin slices, layer in a baking dish with white sauce (bechamel), season with pepper and nutmeg and top with bread crumbs. Bake until sauce is bubbly and rutabagas are fork-tender.  Or steam/boil diced rutabagas until tender, then pan-fry with butter and seasoned breadcrumbs until browned.

Put them in tacos!