Culinary Guides

This is comfort food, plain and good. If you have never cooked with rutabaga, it is worth a try: slightly sweet, a little savory, and creamy enough to rival mashed potatoes. Paired with rosemary roasted carrots, it comes together in under 30 minutes and leaves you full and happy. Pour a glass of red wine and dig in.

Ingredients

• 6 medium-large carrots
• 3 large rutabagas, scrubbed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• 1/4 cup almond milk (homemade or store-bought). You can substitute milk of choice here too!
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• Fine sea salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400F (200C).
2. Peel the carrots and slice them lengthwise into halves or quarters so they are an even size. Toss in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the minced rosemary, a pinch of sea salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 20 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway, until browned and tender.
3. While the carrots roast, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rutabaga and garlic and cook until fork tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.
4. Transfer the rutabaga and garlic to a bowl or food processor. Add the almond milk, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and the red pepper flakes. Mash or blend until smooth, loosening with a splash of the reserved water if it is too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Plate the rosemary carrots alongside a generous scoop of the rutabaga puree, add a little more rosemary if you like, and serve warm.

The puree reheats well; add a splash of milk to bring back its creamy texture. A pat of butter or a drizzle of balsamic is a nice finish.

Grower's tip: Rosemary is slow to start from seed but worth the wait. Give it a sunny, well drained spot, snip sprigs from the tips to keep the plant bushy, and in cold zones grow it in a pot you can move indoors before the first hard freeze so you have fresh sprigs all winter.

Grow the flavor yourself. A row of sweet carrots, a pot of rosemary, and a pinch of heat from our pepper seeds are all this cozy plate really needs.