Give an ugly swede some spicy love
Food Lucy Corry
Few vegetables can be less glamorous than the swede, with its bruised-looking skin and somewhat sulphurous smell.
When I was a child, the farmer next door grew them to feed his stock, and the thought of eating them was not appealing. It’s taken me a long time to see the vegetable offspring of a turnip and a variety of cabbage can be more than the sum of its parts.
Now though, I’m quite the convert. Swedes, which were developed in Sweden in the 17th century, have a more delicate flavour than their brutish looks suggest, and they can be used in a number of ways.
Like most root vegetables, they respond well to generous seasoning and being enriched with a flavourcarrying fat. While they’re grown all year round, they’re best in winter after frosts have encouraged them to convert their starches to sugar.
Swedes are also extremely cheap at this time of year, in case you needed more encouragement.
Spicy swede and spinach curry Serves 3-4 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes
This hearty dish, which falls somewhere between a soup and a stew, is easy to make, reheats well and tastes even better the next day.
❚ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
❚ 2 onions, peeled and diced
❚ 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
❚ 1 teaspoon plain salt
❚ 3 swedes, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks (about 700g unpeeled weight)
❚ 3-4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
❚ 1 cup vegetable stock or water ❚ 400g (1 bag) spinach, well-washed and roughly chopped
❚ 1⁄2 can (200ml) coconut milk
❚ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Set a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the oil. When it’s hot, add the onions, garlic and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about seven minutes.
Add the diced swede and curry paste. Stir well, then add the water or stock. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, until the swede is tender.
Add the spinach and stir well for a couple of minutes (it will wilt considerably). Pour in the coconut milk and heat to nearly simmering point. Taste and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Divide between bowls and serve immediately.
Whipped swede with cream and garlic chips Serves 3-4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Mashed swede is not very glamorous, but whipping it into submission with lashings of cream and garlic transforms it into something quite special.
❚ 2-3 swedes, peeled and cut into chunks
❚ 1 tablespoon butter
❚ 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
❚ 1⁄2 cup cream
❚ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the swedes in a medium pot and barely cover with water. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the swedes are very tender. Drain and return to the heat to dry out.
Melt the butter in a small pot and gently fry the garlic until golden. Remove the garlic from the pot and set aside. Add the cream to the pot and heat gently.
Mash the swede until smooth – if you have a potato ricer, or forearms of steel, now’s the time to use them. Slowly drizzle in the warm butter and cream, whipping the mixture with a wooden spoon until all the cream has been absorbed and the mixture is very light.
Scoop on to plates or a warmed serving dish and scatter the garlic chips on top before serving.