Fellow "Ooff-er" Craftymax issued a plea to us last week… "Help us with some recipes for the endless swede / turnip etc that are in season – please!"
Well, how could we refuse?
So here are the basics on Swede, including recipes for
One-Pot Swede Mash Meal
Swede Chips
Rough Orange Mash
Paula J’s Italian-style Swede Soup
Cheesy Root Veg Crumble
Root Veg and Bean Ragout, and
Grace’s Spinach and Swede Risotto
The basics
Swede, or Neeps in Scotland and Rutabaga in the US (which I thought was a kind of back pain…) is a root vegetable that comes into season in the UK in October and stays with us until the end of February.
It has greeny-purple skin with completely delicious orange flesh.
Buying swede
Look for undamaged skin, and make sure it’s not surprisingly light for its size, which would indicate that it’s a bit old. Smaller ones tend to be sweeter and less tough.
Storing swede
Keep your swede in a cool, dry, dark place. They tend to go mouldy in the fridge. They should keep for 1-2 weeks, as long as they weren’t damp when you stored them.
Preparing swede
Use a sharp knife to cut off the root, then use a potato peeler to take off the tougher outer skin before chopping into chunks or cubes for cooking.
Cooking swede
Don’t overcook, as it will start to disintegrate! About 20 minutes should do it.
Swede recipes
Back in 2007 we asked you for your favourite ways of eating swede.
Here’s what you said:
One-pot Swede Mash Meal
Boil the swede in water until soft then add heaps of butter before mashing then beating until super fluffy. Try adding a splash of cream for a luxurious touch, or some creme fraiche.
Mix in your favourite herbs, e.g., thyme or oregano. Or try with spices like nutmeg, and plenty of salt and pepper.
Then spoon it all into an ovenproof dish and bake in the over 180 degrees for 25 minutes until just turning brown.
Try topping with grated cheese, and maybe some seeds, before baking, and serving it as a meal with salad.
Swede chips
Just chop the swede into chip-shaped pieces, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinke with salt and stick ‘em in the oven for 20 minutes.
Rough orange mash
Roughly mash swede with parsnip and carrot, all in equal quantities – the cream, yellow and orange colour looks good, and the mix of tastes is lovely too.
If you cook them all in one pan you need to add them in the order: carrot, swede, then parsnip, because of the different lengths of time each takes to cook.
Thanks to Rae, Helen and Sarah for these.
Other swede recipes
Paula J’s Italian-style Swede Soup
Cheesy Root Veg Crumble
Grace’s Spinach and Swede Risotto
PS – Did you know?
In the Second World War, so many people grew and ate swede that, once the war and rationing was over, its popularity absolutely plummeted. I suppose you can always have too much of a good thing, no matter how delicious it is.
Categories: food, recipes, seasonal eating
