VEG BOX CHALLENGE

Make good use of your surplus veg with ideas from deputy food editor Esther Clark. This month, she creates three recipes using a veg box staple

How to use swede

Swede isn’t the most beautiful of vegetables, nor is it the most popular. It’s often disguised by other veg, either mashed with potatoes or roasted with other root vegetables. But, I think there’s something really delicious about swede, and luckily for me, I’m regularly left with one in my veg box. It has a nice bite when cooked, and pairs well with dark meats and rich, buttery slow-cooked or minced lamb, or cream sauces, as in a gratin. My favourite way to use swede is to cook it with onions and celery, then whizz the veg with cream to make a soup, as I’ve done on page 95. It holds itself well in a soup as the star, and it pairs beautifully with curried spices. You can finish it with yogurt or chilli oil if you like. I serve it with a melting cheese toastie which takes it to the next level of comfort food.