December 5, 2019 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Rutabagas!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Red & Yellow Onions OR Small Yellow Onions: Ethiopian Spiced Cabbage, Carrots & Potatoes; Carrot Pizza with Fontina & Red Onion; Roasted Red Onion Flowers

Italian Garlic: Ethiopian Spiced Cabbage, Carrots & Potatoes; Garlicky Lentil Soup

Purple & Orange Carrots: Ethiopian Spiced Cabbage, Carrots & Potatoes; Carrot Pizza with Fontina & Red Onion; Bombay Carrot Salad with Cashews & Raisins

Sweet Potatoes: Peanut and Sweet Potato Soup; Sweet Potato and Molasses Muffins with Maple Cashew Frosting; Thai Red Curry Soup with Sweet Potatoes & Squash

Assorted Potatoes: Ethiopian Spiced Cabbage, Carrots &Potatoes

Winter Squash: Thai Red Curry Soup with Sweet Potatoes & Squash

Kohlrabi OR Green Savoy Cabbage: Kohlrabi & Chickpea Salad; Ethiopian Spiced Cabbage, Carrots & Potatoes

Celeriac: Wild Rice and Celeriac Gratin; Braised Chicken with Celeriac & Garlic

Scarlet Turnips: Apple Turnip Quiche; Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping; Cornish Pasties

Rutabaga: Finnish Rutabaga Casserole (see below); Rutabaga & Apple Salad (see below); Norwegian Mashed Rutabagas (see below)

Happy December!  As we roll into the home stretch of the 2019 CSA season, I am reminded that seasonal eating can be a lot of fun!  This week we’re featuring rutabagas—and if you just groaned or moaned, I want you to know I heard you!  Just kidding.  Over the past few weeks we’ve eaten quite a few rutabagas as I trialed some new recipes and this week I have three simple recipes to share with you.  The first is for Finnish Rutabaga Casserole (see below).  While I made this for Thanksgiving, my understanding is that this is actually a traditional Finnish dish often served at Christmas alongside ham.  You can make it with rutabaga only or you can do a mix of rutabaga and potato.  The next recipe is for Norwegian Mashed Rutabagas (see below).  In Norway they cook rutabagas with carrots to make a simple mash.  Really, you can make root mash with any combination of vegetables.  Rutabagas and carrots go really well together and make a pretty root mash, but also one that has a hint of sweetness.  If you wanted to add some potato or sweet potato to the mix, you might be veering from tradition but I guarantee it would still be delicious.  The last recipe, Rutabaga & Apple Salad (see below), comes from a blog written by an American now living in Norway.  I don’t know if this is a traditional recipe, but it is so delicious!  When Richard sat down to eat dinner his first comment was “What a beautiful salad!”  As we started eating it, we both commented “Wow, this really tastes good!”  I am going to add this to my lineup of winter vegetable salads.  It’s crispy, crunchy, slightly sweet and very simple.  While rutabagas won’t win the prize for being the most flashy vegetable, they have a lot of potential to create some tasty meals.  If none of these recipes appeal to you, you might want to check out Dishing Up the Dirt where you’ll find 11 more delicious recipes to utilize rutabagas.

Apple Turnip Quiche

Turnips are another underappreciated root vegetable, but how can you not appreciate this week’s gorgeous sweet scarlet turnips!  I’ve likely shared this recipe for Apple Turnip Quiche before, it’s one of my favorites and I make it quite frequently throughout the winter.  This recipe is credited to The Birchwood Café and I have to say, my homemade versions are just as good as the piece I ate at the café!  This quiche is delicious served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.  There are several other winter recipes that rotate through my kitchen from December through March.  Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping is one of them.  I use whatever root vegetables I have available, typically carrots, parsnips, celeriac and either turnips or rutabagas.  Sweet scarlet turnips are always my first choice because they look so pretty in this dish.  I had never heard of pasties until I moved to Wisconsin.  Last year I decided to give them a try and we featured this recipe for Cornish Pasties in our December newsletter.  They are very easy to make, leftovers reheat well and they are simple but tasty.  Again, use whatever root vegetables you have available.

Ok, there’s one more underappreciated root vegetable in this week’s top 3 lineup—Celeriac.  One of my favorite winter dishes to make with celeriac is Wild Rice and Celeriac Gratin.  I also like this recipe for Braised Chicken with Celeriac & Garlic.  In both of these recipes the flavor of the celeriac is present, but subtle.

Ethiopian Spiced Cabbage, Carrots & Potatoes
photo from thewanderlustkitchen.com

We’re nearing the end of green vegetables, but do still have a small amount of kohlrabi and some green savoy cabbage that we tucked away for this month’s deliveries.  I am looking forward to making Andrea Bemis’ recipe for Kohlrabi & Chickpea Salad.  This is a great salad to enjoy during the winter.  This creamy vegetable salad includes toasted sunflower seeds and raisins to add a bit of crunch and sweetness to accompany the kohlrabi and chickpeas that provide the base of this salad.  If you have green savoy cabbage piling up in your refrigerator, consider trying a dish from another country such as this Ethiopian Spiced Cabbage, Carrots & Potatoes.  Of the nine ingredients in this recipe, 5 of them are vegetables in this week’s box.  This recipe is super simple, vegetarian and can be the base of a nice weeknight dinner when served with lentils and Ethiopian flat bread.  The unique part of this recipe is that it uses Berbere spice.  Berbere is a unique Ethiopian spice blend that has a lot of spices including chiles, garlic, fenugreek, cinnamon, allspice and a variety of other components.  You can find this in the bulk spice section of most co-ops, so just get a little bit for this recipe—it’s what makes Ethiopian food Ethiopian food!

Bombay Carrot Salad with Cashews & Raisins
photo from feastingathome.com

Every week needs a pizza and this week’s seasonal combo is Carrot Pizza with Fontina & Red Onion.  This recipe uses carrots to make a creamy “sauce” to spread over the crust.  I’m not sure what this would look like with the purple carrots.  I might recommend using the orange ones for this recipe.  If anyone does try it with purple carrots, please post a picture in the Facebook Group!  I do think it would be fine to use the purple carrots, or a combo of both colors, in this Bombay Carrot Salad with Cashews & Raisins.  This salad, paired with Garlicky Lentil Soup, would make a tasty, nourishing winter meal.

One of the things I love about food is how it can take you to other parts of the world.  We started off this week’s discussion with recipes from Finland and Norway.  Our carrot salad took us to Bombay and we had a taste of Ethiopia just ahead of that.  While we’re in Africa we might as well explore this Peanut and Sweet Potato Soup.  This is a Deborah Madison recipe we featured back in 2014.   If you aren’t into African flavors, maybe you’d prefer this Thai Red Curry Soup with Sweet Potatoes & Squash.  This is one of the easiest Thai curry recipes—great for a quick weeknight dinner.

Sweet Potato and Molasses Muffins
with Maple Cashew Frosting
photo from dishingupthedirt.com

I’m sure we all enjoyed our fair share of Thanksgiving pies, cakes, desserts, etc, so no dessert recipes this week, but a little something sweet to wrap up this week’s article.  These Sweet Potato and Molasses Muffins with Maple Cashew Frosting are courtesy of Andrea Bemis from Dishing Up the Dirt.  They are a healthy version of decadent—no guilt.

Ok, one more thing to share and I have no idea how this recipe ties together with anything I’ve shared this week.  I just think this idea for Roasted Red Onion Flowers is super fun and I really want to try it.  Just look at how beautiful they are!  So if you have a stash of red onions on your counter, give these a try.  They’ll go great as a side dish with nearly anything.

And on that random final note….Have a great week!—Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Rutabagas

by Andrea Yoder

Nature has a way of giving us what we need in its appropriate season.  As we move into the winter months, we no longer have the luxury of eating fresh veggies out of the field.  Instead, we turn to foods that store well and in preparation for the long, cold months we stock our root cellars full of vegetables that can survive the winter.  Not as many people these days have a root cellar, but you can use your crisper drawer for a similar purpose!  Rutabagas, along with turnips, are two of the best storing root crops and the stars of this week’s “Weed Em’ & Reap” newsletter article.  Take a moment to read more about these two underappreciated vegetables and you’ll quickly learn they have been an important part of winter diets in northern regions for a long time!

When you are ready to use your rutabagas, trim off the neck on the top.  Cut the vegetable lengthwise in halves or quarters so it is more manageable to handle.  Trim off the exterior skin using a paring knife,   You’ll find the flesh to be a beautiful golden color, firm and crisp.  When cooking rutabagas, less is often more.  Don’t try to make rutabagas fancy, that’s just not their style.  This week’s recipes reflect tradition and feature dishes from both Finnish and Norwegian culture.  Rutabagas can be eaten raw, boiled, stir-fried, roasted, baked and braised.  Elizabeth Schneider wrote, “There is really just one way not to cook it:  in lots of water for a long time….”  Perhaps this cooking method is responsible for turning up many noses over the years.  If you overcook rutabagas, they will quickly go from tender, sweet and delicious to mushy, strong flavored and stinky.  Rutabagas are also often used in soups, gratins, roasted root mixes, and root mashes, but can also make a really nice winter salad or stir-fry.  Rutabagas pair well with butter & cream (big surprise), ginger, lemon, nutmeg, parsley, sage, thyme, apples, pears, other root vegetables, bacon and other smoked and roasted meats.

Rutabagas should be stored in a cold environment with moisture to keep them from dehydrating.  If stored properly they can be preserved for months.  If you notice your roots starting to get floppy or soft, just soak them in a bowl of water in your refrigerator and they’ll spring back to life.  Don’t let them shrivel up in the crisper drawer this year, give them a try!  You just might find you like them and will miss them come spring!

Finnish Rutabaga Casserole (Lanttulaatikko)

Yield:  6 servings

6 cups peeled & diced rutabaga OR 3 cups rutabaga and 3 cups peeled & diced potatoes

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

¼ cup heavy cream

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

3 Tbsp butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Butter a 2 ½-quart casserole and set aside.
2. Cook the rutabagas and/or potatoes together in salted water to cover, just until soft and tender.
3. Drain and mash with a potato masher.  Soak the bread crumbs in the cream and stir in the nutmeg, salt, and beaten eggs.
4. Blend mixture with the mashed rutabagas and potatoes.  Turn into the casserole dish.  Dot the top with butter.  Bake for 1 hour or until the top is lightly browned.

This recipe was borrowed from Beatrice Ojankangas’ book, Homemade:  Finnish Rye, Feed Sack Fashion, and Other Simple Ingredients From My Life In Food.  Beatrice grew up in rural northern Minnesota, the oldest of ten children.  In addition to a lifetime of experience cooking for her family, she also has an extensive list of accomplishments as a food writer and recipe developer.  While she comes from Finnish descent, she also lived in Finland for a short while. During this time she researched and collected recipes that she compiled and published as, The Finnish Cookbook.

Mashed Rutabagas (Kålrabistappe)

Yield:  4-6 servings

1.5 pounds rutabaga (kålrabi)  

8 oz carrots (2-3 medium) 

1 qt water

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt (or to taste) 

¼ cup whipping cream

2 Tbsp butter

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

1. Peel and cut rutabaga and carrots into pieces (large dice).  Place the vegetables into a pan and cover with a quart of water seasoned with 1 Tbsp salt.  Bring the water to a boil and cook the rutabagas and carrots just until tender and soft. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
2. Mash the rutabagas and carrots by hand using a potato masher.  
3. Stir in cream, butter, pepper, and nutmeg. If needed, add the additional teaspoon of salt and maybe a dash of the reserved liquid, to taste.

This recipe was adapted from one originally printed in the Oct. 21, 2016, issue of The Norwegian American.  It was submitted by Lillian Laila Owren of Kristiansand, Norway.

Rutabaga & Apple Salad (Kålrabi Salat med Epler)

Yield:  Makes a large bowl (7-8 cups)

1 medium or several small rutabaga (about 1 pound)

2 tart apples, cored

¼ red cabbage (about 2 cups, sliced thinly)

½ cup hazelnuts, whole

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Vinaigrette:

⅓ cup oil (neutral vegetable oil or hazelnut oil)

¼ cup apple juice

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

1. Peel and cut the rutabaga into matchsticks by hand or with a mandolin. Cut the apples into matchsticks as well. Thinly slice the red cabbage. Place rutabaga, apples and cabbage in a serving bowl.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss to combine.
2. Place the hazelnuts in a large frying pan over medium-high heat to toast. Shaking once and a while to prevent burning. When starting to turn a golden brown remove from the pan. (I like to add the skins and all, but you can remove the skins if you wish by rubbing the hazelnuts between your palms or in a tea towel.)  Roughly chop the nuts and add to the salad.
3. Combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl and whisk well. Pour over the salad and gently mix until everything is covered. Serve immediately.

This recipe was borrowed from northwildkitchen.com, a blog written by Nevada Berg.  Nevada grew up in Utah, but now lives in the beauty of Norway where she enjoys foraging, exploring, and cooking. The pictures and stories on her blog are beautiful!