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Fall Fest: Rutabaga Puff

November 3, 2010 by Nicole 34 Comments

Rutabaga Puff

Since we are celebrating root vegetables at Fall Fest this week, I decided it was time explore the world of the rutabaga.  Up until recently, the only thing I knew about rutabagas is that they live next to turnips in the produce section at the grocery store.  And I know nothing about turnips.

But thanks to the internet, I now know that rutabagas are a root vegetable that supposedly evolved from a cross between a wild cabbage and a turnip.  They look a lot like a turnip, but are yellow instead of white and have a rougher skin.  The flavor is supposed to be sweeter than a turnip.  Rutabagas can be prepared in many different ways, but mashed or roasted seem to be the most popular ways to go.

I had originally planned on roasting a few different root vegetables together and tossing them with butter and herbs.  I even bought some golden beets and colorful carrots to accompany rutabaga in the roasting pan.  But then I ran across this recipe for Rutabaga Puff and thought it might be fun to let this unfamiliar root be the star of the show tonight.  Rutabaga Puff is a casserole made from puréed rutabaga, egg, a bit of flour and leavening, and a few light seasonings.  It’s topped with buttered crumbs and baked – the puff comes from the egg and baking powder.

Since I’m cooking for one these days, I cut the recipe in half and divided the rutabaga mixture into three individual baking dishes to make cute little single-serving casseroles.  The only change I made to Alanna’s recipe was to add about 1/4 cup of shredded Parmigiano Reggiano to the purée.

The casseroles turned out great – lightly browned and crunchy on top, creamy inside.  The flavor of the rutabaga is hard to describe.  It was a bit sweet and a bit bitter and I could definitely taste a hint of cabbage.  I’ll admit that I didn’t immediately love it.  I took a few bites and set it down, turned off by the bitterness.  But I found myself wanting to eat more, and by the time I finished my little bowl I felt like I really enjoyed it.

I definitely think I’ll eat more rutabagas this fall and winter and am looking forward to roasting some next.  For those of you who eat rutabagas, how do you like to prepare them?  Please feel free to share links to your favorite recipes for rutabaga or any other root vegetables in the comments section.

Don’t forget to check out Alanna’s recipe for Rutabaga Puff.

Root Vegetable Recipes from the Fall Fest Gang:

  • Caron at San Diego Foodstuff: Roasted Carrot and Fennel Soup with Miso
  • Gilded Fork: Hidden Jewels of Harvest
  • Michelle at Cooking Channel: Roasted Beet Salad
  • Food Network UK: Return to Your Roots
  • Roberto at Food2: Easy Roasted Root Veggies
  • Kirsten at Food Network: Root Veggie Sides to Try
  • Liz at Healthy Eats: In-Season Root Veggies
  • Caroline at The Wright Recipes: Slow-Cooked Pot Roast with Root Vegetables + Apple, Potato and Celery Root Mash
  • Paige at The Sister Project: Sweet and Savory Soup Too Good to Hide

How You Can Join Fall Fest 2010

Fall Fest!Welcome to Fall Fest! Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? You can contribute to our online recipe swap in various ways, big or small.

Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Fall Fest post on my blog, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. Yes, copy and paste them everywhere! That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and some pretty great dialog starts simmering.

Or think bigger: Publish entire posts of your own, if you wish, and grab the Fall Fest 2010 pumpkin badge (illustrated by Matt of Matt Bites).

Summer/Fall Fest 2010 Posting Schedule

7/28: Cukes and Zukes
8/4: Corn
8/11: Herbs, Greens, and Beans
8/18: Stone Fruit – I missed this one!
8/25: Tomatoes
9/1: Sweet and Spicy Peppers
9/8: Garlic
9/15: White (or colorful “white”…but not sweet) Potatoes
9/22: Spinach
9/29: Apples
10/6: Fall Salads
10/13: Pumpkin + Winter Squash – I missed this one!
10/20: Pears
10/27: “Mad Stash” (as in what you’re shoving in freezer/jars/dehydrator, etc.)
11/3: Root veggies
11/10: Brassicas: incl. Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Cabbage or other
11/17: Sweet Potatoes

Filed Under: Fall Fest 2010, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy says

    November 3, 2010 at 3:58 am

    This looks really good. I just discovered the rutabaga this year as well and have two more in the kitchen from the farmer's market. I foresee one of them turning into this puff! My fall fest recipe is maple roasted turnips: http://savorymomentsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/maple-roasted-turnips.html
    Reply
  2. Soma says

    November 3, 2010 at 5:02 am

    I haven't brought in rutabaga in my kitchen yet. This is such a beautiful dish. I could join in the fest this time! Here is mine - Poppy Seeds and Chickpea Crusted Potatoes http://www.ecurry.com/blog/starters-snacks/poppy-seed-and-chickpea-crusted-potatoes/
    Reply
  3. pam says

    November 3, 2010 at 6:31 am

    I don't know if I've ever even had a rutabaga!
    Reply
  4. Ranjani says

    November 3, 2010 at 6:34 am

    That looks great! I used rutabega once in a stew, but haven't made anything else with it. I bet the puff would work well with other veggies too... I made a root veggie salad this week: http://4seasonsoffood.blogspot.com/2010/11/crunchy-root-vegetable-salad.html
    Reply
  5. Erin says

    November 3, 2010 at 6:54 am

    Delightful! I adore all of the fall root vegetables. Turnip, parsnip, rutabaga -- bring 'em on. This is a great idea to use this often maligned veggie in a sophisticated way.
    Reply
  6. Louise says

    November 3, 2010 at 7:34 am

    Nicole, so funny, my first instinct was to roast them off with other colorful veges as you mentioned. that is the way i cook them with colorful carrots, and parsnips. Perhaps they recipe you made could be altered into croquettes with a dipping sauce to offset the bitterness? Have a great week, Louise
    Reply
  7. Noelle says

    November 3, 2010 at 7:55 am

    I do a similar thing with turnips. We don't eat a lot of rutabagas because we don't get them from our CSA, but I do love them.
    Reply
  8. the blissful baker says

    November 3, 2010 at 9:53 am

    i've never tried rutabaga, but i do love all veggies, so i'm sure this would be delish!
    Reply
  9. Anne Marie says

    November 3, 2010 at 9:59 am

    Where I grew up in Upper Michigan, we ate rutabagas mashed like potatoes and added them to pasties. They're also good raw, sliced into batons, as part of a crudite platter. Now, I like to add them to winter vegetable galettes like these that I made last year: http://themessyapron.blogspot.com/2009/12/bounty-busters-winter-vegetable-galette.html
    Reply
  10. Anne Marie says

    November 3, 2010 at 10:01 am

    Oh, yeah, and that Rutabaga Puff looks great! I definitely have to try that as soon as I can get my hands on some "beggies."
    Reply
  11. Jane says

    November 3, 2010 at 10:03 am

    My father-in-law makes a fabulous casserole with mashed rutabagas, carrots and potatoes. All of the vegetables are boiled, mashed together, seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper, and put into a buttered casserole. It's baked at 350 for a bit and oh my gosh it is just delish!!
    Reply
  12. Kathleen says

    November 3, 2010 at 2:27 pm

    Thank you, I always forget about this vegetable. I am contributing a few carrot ideas for #Fallfest http://dejavucook.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/glazed... http://http:dejavucook.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/potage-crecy/ http://dejavucook.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/split-...
    Reply
  13. Kim @ Quit Eating Out says

    November 3, 2010 at 2:49 pm

    I can honestly say I've never made a rutabaga.... or know a thing about it. But, interestingly I'm in the process of getting outside my "recipe box" to try new things and this sounds great for fall. I'll let you know when I try it. Have a great night!
    Reply
  14. Feast on the Cheap says

    November 3, 2010 at 3:02 pm

    I've never cooked with rutabegas - in fact, I feel like a total rube, but I'm not sure i've ever even had one. Clearly that needs to change. My rooty-tooty contributions are: Roasted Beets with Sweet Pears & Feta and Winter Beef Stew with Mushrooms & Turnips
    Reply
  15. Tangential1 says

    November 3, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    This looks seriously good! Will definitely have to try it soon. I got kind of hooked on rutabegas after a visit to Scotland a few years ago. Check out Scottish recipes for "neeps" or "swedes" (rutabegas are alternatively known as "yellow turnips" in the UK, apparently. From what I understand, they don't have the white turnips we have in the US, so if a recipe calls for turnips, they actually mean rutabegas!). Mashed rutabegas and potatoes ("neeps and tatties" if mashed separately or "clapshot" if mashed together) is really tasty. Roasted rutabegas are amazing. Most recently, I've been including them in stews, subbing out some of the potatoes and carrots that I usually add. I saw a recipe recently for turnip fries, which sounded interesting, but I haven't tried it yet.
    Reply
  16. MC says

    November 3, 2010 at 5:38 pm

    I second the use of rutabaga's in pasties. Delish!
    Reply
  17. Nicole says

    November 3, 2010 at 6:03 pm

    Okay, someone needs to tell me what pasties are!
    Reply
  18. Charles G Thompson says

    November 3, 2010 at 6:44 pm

    I love rutabegas - I add them to mashed potatoes and it adds a nice layer of flavor. This recipe sounds really good. A perfect fall dish.
    Reply
  19. Stephanie @ Dollop of Cream says

    November 3, 2010 at 9:49 pm

    Your picture is just beautiful -- definitely inspiring me to eat more rutabaga. (: I made my favourite fall/winter root veggie soup for Fall Fest. It's called West African peanut soup, but I found the recipe in cold, cold Winnipeg, Canada! Here it is: http://www.dollopofcream.com/2010/11/west-african-peanut-soup-via-winnipeg.html
    Reply
  20. Lu says

    November 3, 2010 at 11:08 pm

    I use rutabagas cubed up in soup/stews in place of potato for a lower calorie, higher fiber kick ~ the added vitamin C ain't bad either. They can have a slightly bitter taste- but I think in soups/stews that adds more character to the dish- RUTABAGA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 cup Amount Per Serving Calories 50 % Daily Value* Sodium 30mg 1% Total Carbohydrates 11.0g 4% Dietary Fiber 4.0g 16% Sugars 8.0g Protein 2.0g Vitamin A 15% • Vitamin C 60% Calcium 6% • Iron 4% Potato ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nutrition Facts Serving Size Amount Per Serving Calories 128 Calories from Fat 2 % Daily Value* Total Fat 0.2g 0% Saturated Fat 0.0g 0% Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 14mg 1% Total Carbohydrates 29.2g 10% Dietary Fiber 3.0g 12% Sugars 1.6g Protein 3.5g Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 22% Calcium 2% • Iron 8%
    Reply
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