A different way of cooking swedes

[Shirley]

Yes, neeps in Scotland are swedes

[Stonehead]

I've just come in for a cuppa and realised I'd missed this thread. I'm not one who thinks neeps or turnips are boring, they just need a bit of
TLC and a decent recipe...

Turnip and Potato Soup

• 4 tbsp butter
  2 large neeps, peeled and chopped into small cubes
  1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  1 large potato, peeled and chopped into small cubes
  1 tbsp cornflour
  2 pints stock (chicken or vegetable)
  1 bay leaf
  Freshly grated nutmeg
  Salt and pepper to taste
  1/2 pint single cream
  1 medium carrot, finely grated

Melt the butter in a large casserole or heavy saucepan over a medium heat. When the butter has stopped frothing, add chopped neeps, onion and potato.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, , stirring occasionally, until onion is tender and translucent. Do not allow to change colour.
Remove the vegetables from casserole, leaving as much butter as possible. Remove the casserole from the heat and stir the flour into the juices, until smooth.
Slowly pour in the stock, stirring constantly. Place back over the heat and simmer until the flour has slightly thickened.
Put the cooked vegetables back into the casserole, add the bay leaf and sprinkle with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat and cook for for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaf and puree soup mixture. Either use a stick blender in the casserole or remove a little at a time and prcoess in a blender.
Pour the pureed soup back into the casserole and return to the cooker, still on a low heat.
Stir in the cream until the soup is hot. Do not boil.
Ladle into bowls, sprinkle a little grated carrot over the top of each and serve.

[Stonehead]

Mashed neeps with pork scratchings

Dice a couple of large neeps and boil or steam until just soft and drain.

While the neeps are cooking, take some pork (or bacon) rind, score with a Stanley knife and bake in a very hot oven on a wire rack placed in a deep baking dish.
Set the rind to one side (it should be like crackling), pour the pork fat over the neeps, add a good pinch or two of ground white pepper, and mash thoroughly. You can add a little milk if the mash is a bit dry.

Cut the reserved rind up with a pair of heavy scissors or kitchen shears.

Place the mash on the serving plates and sprinkle with the rind.

This tastes excellent alongside roast chicken. Add some cabbage sweated with onions and fennel seeds, a couple of sweet pickled carrots and you have one of my favourite dinners.

Oh, and if you just do the pork rind as described above (including the cutting into pieces) and sprinkle a little salt over it, then you have absolutely the best pork scratchings ever. Ask my boys - it's one of their favourite treats!

[Stonehead]

I've finished my cuppa, so you'll have to wait for more.

[zombiecazz]

This is my new favourite way to eat swede. You can have it on it's own or as a side dish.

Swede with Spinach
2 cups diced swede
2 cups of fresh spinach
1 clove garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper or hot paprika
1 small pot of natural yoghurt
1 tsp crushed coriander
1/2tsp tumeric
1 diced onion
1 cup water
seasoning

mince together onion, garlic and coriander
saute with some butter or marg until softened.
add tumeric, paprika, half the spinach and yoghurt simmer for a minute or so.
Add swede, water, seasoning and rest of spinach.
Simmer until swede is tender and the sauce is moist but not too wet.

Delicious, like a mild curried swede.

[funkypixie]

I love swede. Especially raw. Or mashed with tatties. Or baked. Or roasted. Or in hash.

Mmmmmmm

Anna x

[chadspad]

Never tried hash with swede or am I thinking of something else lol?

[funkypixie]

Yeah....definitely something different

Think broth not weed!

Anna x

[caithnesscrofter]

call me boring but, I just love plain ol' veggie haggis, mashed neeps (yes, Swedes in Scotland) w/ a little butter and salt and mashed tatties with butter, milk & parsley. Don't forget the sauce de broon either!

Our favourite winter meal.