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| Rutabaga, parsnips, and carrots. |
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| rawmelissa.com |
Winter is here in the Pacific Northwest and so are the season’s root vegetables. These hard veggies my have rough skin but when peeled and roasted their flavor is as sweet as a summer day. Women's Health Magazine recently featured a wonderful root vegetable side dish recipe with parsnips, rutabaga, and carrots, in Jill Waldbieser’s article "Cook Up Earth's Candy."
Rutabagas, parsnips and carrots
are not the first things that come to mind when one imagines earthy, natural
candy. Sweets like: honey, strawberries, and bananas-come to mind more readily
than the former.
Parsnips, the carrot’s pale
cousin, were something that I had tried in soups and sauces accompanied by other
potent flavors-I couldn't recall distinctly liking or disliking parsnip flavor.
As for rutabagas, I wasn't sure what one looked like, let alone tasted like!
Luckily, rutabagas were available (and labeled), at Fred Meyer in Portland, OR. Rutabagas, also known as Swede or yellow turnip, is a root vegetable that originated in Sweden or Russia, and are often mistaken for turnips, but are actually a cross between a cabbage and a turnip.
Luckily, rutabagas were available (and labeled), at Fred Meyer in Portland, OR. Rutabagas, also known as Swede or yellow turnip, is a root vegetable that originated in Sweden or Russia, and are often mistaken for turnips, but are actually a cross between a cabbage and a turnip.
An already simple recipe: Roasted Roots from Women's Health (Jan/Feb 2013) can be made
it even simpler by omitting the fresh sage and thyme from the original recipe, and
replacing it with the dried Italian herb seasoning. I couldn't have been happier about the way
this recipe turned out.
Roasting root vegetables brings out their flavor without turning them to mush. The rutabaga had a light sweet squash like flavor and the parsnips tasted like a combination of celery and green apple. The carrots were tender and full of flavor that that is often depleted when boiled.
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Roasting root vegetables brings out their flavor without turning them to mush. The rutabaga had a light sweet squash like flavor and the parsnips tasted like a combination of celery and green apple. The carrots were tender and full of flavor that that is often depleted when boiled.
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Root Vegetable Medley
(A modified version of the Roasted Roots recipe)
Yields about 6 cups
Ingredients
3 med-large carrots (peeled/chopped into half inch chunks)
3 med-large parsnips (peeled/chopped into half inch chunks)
1 rutabaga (peeled/chopped into half inch chunks)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pinch or two of salt and pepper
Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a baking dish, toss combined veggies ,oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to coat. Cover and roast for 20 minutes.
3. Uncover, give the dish a shake to loosen the veggies. Roast uncovered for 15-20 minutes more, or until tender.
Ingredients
3 med-large carrots (peeled/chopped into half inch chunks)
3 med-large parsnips (peeled/chopped into half inch chunks)
1 rutabaga (peeled/chopped into half inch chunks)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pinch or two of salt and pepper
Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a baking dish, toss combined veggies ,oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to coat. Cover and roast for 20 minutes.
3. Uncover, give the dish a shake to loosen the veggies. Roast uncovered for 15-20 minutes more, or until tender.
Pair the following recipe with a savory meat dish.
I served the medley with Swiss chard and goat cheese stuffed meatballs.
"Tatties and neeps which is potato and rutabagas mashed separately and served with haggis. Swedes are often mashed with carrots for a traditional Sunday roast."
What will you serve your roasted root veggies with?
Waldbieser,
Jill. “Cook Up Earth’s Candy.” Women’s Health Jan/Feb.
2013: 132-137. Print
-http://www.diffen.com/difference/Rutabaga_vs_Turnip
-http://www.diffen.com/difference/Rutabaga_vs_Turnip
Photo Credit: rawmelissa.com
