ISO ways to "like" rutabagas

[Amerylla]

I am an adventurous cook, I love trying new foods. I enjoy picking up interesting things at the store and taking them home to give them a shot in my kitchen. There is very very little I don't like, buttermilk and liverwurst and the only two items on my list of ick.

About a year ago I picked up a rutabaga. I did a bit of research and found that it was orginally a cross between a turnip and cabbage, both vegetables in my book are wonderful. I peeled it, chopped it in roughly 3/4" cubes and added it to my roast vegetables (potatoes, sweet taters, carrots, red bells, onions ... whatever is in my vegetable bin usually) and tried it for dinner. It was the most godawful thing I have ever tasted. I couldn't even eat the other vegetables around it. I did a bit more reading and found it to be a 'famine' food, which I had no trouble believing, it was that bad.

Now, I'm reading thread about how much people really do love this vegetable and I'm wanting to turn the other cheek and give a rutabaga another try. I'm willing to let bygones, be bygones and believe I may have just picked a really BAD rutabaga.

So, is there something I should look for? Watch out for? Is there a 'beginners guide to a rutabaga' recipe? I want to give it another try.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Try grating the rutabega and adding it to a slaw recipe. Most times when I cook rutabegga, I add a bit of brown sugar, salt, and butter. It can be a bit bitter and so the brown sugar not only adds depth, but counteracts the bitterness. If you don't want to add sugar, you can saute onion to develop its sweetness and mash into the rutabegga as well. Oh, and I usually mash them after boiling until tender. A bit of black pepper complements the flavor as well.

To me, the rutabegga tastes more like turnip than cabbage, though I can taste componants of both veggies in it.

Hope that helps. And remember, everyone's tastes are different. Most people enjoy mint. I can't stand the stuff, except for sage (a member of the mint family). And yet, I love the liverwurst you hate. Is mint bad becasue I dont' like it? No. I just don't like it. I can't tell you why I have an aversion to that flavor. I just do.

Everyone likes and dislikes different things. You are to be commended
for giving rutabeggas another shot. It may be that the advise I have given you will make them more pallatable to you. It may not. Only you can decide what you do and don't like. Good luck to you.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[BreezyCooking]

I use it in any/all turnip recipes (roasted, glazed, etc.), but also enjoy it mashed like potatoes topped with lots of melted butter & sometimes a sprinkling of brown sugar.

 

[larry_stewart]

I usually mash rutabegas with carrots ( 50/50 )
Cut into chunks
Boil til soft
mash with butter, cream, salt , a little sugar and black pepper.

The carrot helps sweeten things a little and the cream and butter tone down the cabbagy flavor so it is more mild.

 

[Glorie]

I roast them along with potatoes, carrots and parsnips then mash them all together with a little cream, butter and salt

 

[Silversage]

In my family, rutabagas are standard fare for the holiday turkey dinner.

Cut 'em up; boil 'em with a pinch of sugar; strain & mash with plenty of butter & black pepper. Serve as a side dish with the turkey, and smother in gravy just like mashed potatoes.

Their earthiness really compliments the whole fall harvest thing at Thanksgiving.