The featured vegetable at last weekend’s Winter Farmers’ Market in Rollinsford was rutabaga—a round, yellow-fleshed root vegetable with an earthy, buttery flavor that sweetens up in cool weather. A cross between a cabbage and a turnip, this winter staple can be eaten raw or prepared steamed, boiled, braised, baked, deep-fried, sauteed, roasted, mashed or pureed!
Our wonderful Winter Farmers’ Market demo team, Jennifer Purrenhage and Erin Allgood, showed a variety of ways to use this versatile vegetable, including their very own recipe for Rutabaga Quick-Kraut. After peeling the rutabaga and grating, the dish comes together quickly, resulting in a sweet-and-sour tangle punctuated by dots of crunchy mustard seeds. The beauty of this recipe is how easy it is to make from all local ingredients, with everything adjustable to taste.
Storage: Keep in a cool, dark place or refrigerate for up to a month in a bag or container to prevent moisture-loss.
Preparation: The thick, tough skin should be removed before cooking. To peel, cut off one end to create a flat surface to keep it steady. Cut off the skin with your knife, following contour of the bulb. Or use a vegetable peeler and peel around the bulb a couple of times to ensure all the fibrous skin has been removed and to get to the moist, crisp interior.
Rutabaga Quick-Kraut
We were playing with rutabaga one day and got inspired (by our love of sauerkraut and mustard) to make this yummy side dish. We’ve never seen anything like it in cookbooks or our favorite blogs. If you like sauerkraut or stoneground mustard, we think you’ll like the flavors in this “quick-kraut.” Give it a try.
What You’ll Need:
• 2 cups rutabaga, grated (about 1/2 lb trimmed)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
How to Make Your Quick-Kraut:
1. Heat honey, apple-cider vinegar and mustard in pan to combine (over medium heat).
2. Add grated rutabaga to pan.
3. Sauté on med-high heat until rutabaga is tender and lightly browned.
4. Add in small amounts of oil as needed to keep rutabaga from sticking to the pan.
Local rutabaga, honey and apple cider vinegar can all be found at our Winter Farmers’ Market. For mustard, vendor White Gate Farm offers a maple one; also Provincial Palate in Gilmanton, NH, makes a honey-crunch mustard; and Raye’s Mustard of Maine carries several whole-grain styles, including Old World Gourmet Mustard.
Jennifer and Erin have generously made their hand-out of rutabaga recipes available online. For more information, recipes and food tips, Jennifer can be found at www.getwellgrounded.com, and Erin at www.allgoodeats.blogspot.com. Our next Winter Farmers’ Market is in Exeter, March 12th, when the featured vegetable will be cabbage. Jennifer and Erin will then be back when the Winter Farmers’ Market returns to Rollinsford, March 26th, featuring carrots and parsnips. Make sure to stop by for more samples and recipes!