Many years ago (pre-blogging life) I had an encounter with jicama that left me traumatized. I sliced it very thin and ate it the way Marcela often recommends it, as a refreshing, light alternative to corn tortillas. I intensely disliked it, but through a convoluted set of events, a few days later realized that jicama that was not. I had bought, sliced, and endured a rutabaga. Big oops moment! I stayed away from both veggies for quite a long time, but finally made peace with them. Jicama does a reasonable job as tortilla-wannabe, and as far as rutabaga goes, it kills me that I took so long to finally cook it. I fell in love with this mashed version at the first spoonful. Creamy, smooth, with a unique flavor, perfect to showcase some Boeuf Bourguignon… or any other type of beef stew that might be calling your name. Truth is, if you cannot make winter disappear by snapping your fingers, the alternative is to fight it with comfort food. Like this root veggie puree with a touch of coconut milk. You will love it, I promise!
SILKY RUTABAGA PUREE
(slightly modified from A Calculated Whisk)
3 medium rutabagas, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large yam, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup coconut milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
dash of nutmeg
Place the rutabaga and yam chunks in a saucepan with the salt and water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, until the veggies are very tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Place the rutabaga, yam, olive oil, coconut milk. salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth, add the nutmeg and process briefly. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. If needed, adjust consistency with some of the reserved cooking liquid.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: This meal was perfect for a snowy Saturday evening. I cooked the beef stew low and slow for over 4 hours, it was luscious, the red wine mellowed down by the long gentle simmer in the oven. The rutabaga puree, perhaps an unusual side dish for Bourguignon, was quite a nice match not only in taste and texture, but also in its color, bright golden. When we sat down to enjoy our dinner, Phil took a first bite and immediately decided it was worthy of a special bottle of wine, one we bought in France many years ago. That was a great move… Almost made me forget the snow outside. Almost.
Life is good!
ONE YEAR AGO: Bon Bon Chicken: Light and Spectacular!
TWO YEARS AGO: Seafood Extravaganza Pasta
THREE YEARS AGO: A Pearfect Drink
FOUR YEARS AGO: Ming Tsai Under Pressure
FIVE YEARS AGO: Paris, Je t’aime
Bewitching Kitchen 
That would have been almost as bad as when I moved from Maine to Tennesee and went into the hospital and took a big bite of what I thought was cream of wheat and it was grits. This Yankee wasn’t expecting that. 🙂 My mother used to mix mashed potato and mashed rutabaga together every Thanksgiving. I don’t know why. This looks very good!
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Oh, my gosh! I can imagine the horror, grits instead of cream of wheat is simply too shocking for words! 😉
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Love that purée!!
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It was absolutely delicious, and very good next day too….
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Nice 🙂
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The puree looks so golden and creamy, I might have thought it was scrambled eggs. Bet it’s very tasty.
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I was very surprised by the intensity of the yellow color, it is true that looks quite a bit like scrambled eggs….
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Wine worthy indeed. I love root purees – the coconut milk is intriguing. I will try that. With wine, of course.
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Root purees are hearty and make any meal special. of course, a beef stew doesn’t hurt anything either!
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Being born in N Europe this was probably the first veggie which was ever stuffed in my mouth: as long as we are talking about a swede or Swedish turnip I hope 🙂 ! Yours being a very elegant nomenclature!! Methinks it has the most delightful taste, but a have an experience ahead – have never added coconut milk or a yam: here we go!!!!!
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Here turnips and rutabagas are different creatures – now I am not sure exactly what the Swedish turnip would compare to – maybe we should google so that we are on the same page? or… same veggie? 😉
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Oh Sally – quickly did just that and now I am more mixed up than before, ’cause in Sweden rutabagas are meant to be ‘red bags’ [yup, can see that 🙂 !] and thus swedes 😉 !! Somehow neeps come into play as well!!! Oh, let us just call them round winter root vegetables which can taste awfully yummy when well cooked . . . and in Estonia they made a very nice creamy winter soup as well . . . whatever, I love the taste, that was my ‘baby food’, don’t use them nearly enough and shall try your recipe!!!!! Somehow methinks ‘rutabaga’ may be an American expression?
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Sounds like the perfect weapon with which to attack winter!
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