vegan Shepherds Pie with Wild Garlic Mash

April showers continue... 

I made this Shepherds Pie last week with the wild garlic that came in the vegetable box I was trialling last month.  I haven't had the opportunity to go out foraging yet, but I know I will soon when the weather is a little more kinder.  I am just not prepared to go out and get a wet at the moment, even for free food - I find myself pretty drenched with rain when waiting at bus stops with no shelter. 

Anyway, this is one of my go to vegan Shepherds Pie recipe made with textured vegetable protein.  However, I did make some minor changes, such as the choice of vegetables.  This time there are chunks of swede and carrots, and of course the mashed potato topping which was enhanced with wild garlic.  Its one of the things I like about this recipe as you can vary it with different vegetables. 

The recipe serves 6 to 8 people generously.  It was lovely.  My only regret is not showing it to you when it was baked with the lovely golden topping and moreso, it came out compact out of the baking dish, no mush!  

Vegan Hazelnut Swede Lemon Drenched Cake

This prettily dressed up Hazelnut Swede Lemon Drenched Cake has come and gone in our home and while it lasted, it made every one who had a slice or a taste, first crinkle their noses and then purse their lips and nod their heads in approval. It was intriguing. 

For my overseas readers, you may know Swede as Rutabaga.  It is a vegetable that I avoid eating in savoury meals, I find it sweet like parsnips and don't often enjoy it, but hide it in a cake then it takes on a different flavour all together.  I know it won't convince everybody, but all I can say is try it before you pass judgement.

I have made a few dishes with both swede and turnips  of late.  Previous to this blog post you may have seen my Turnip, Kale and White Bean Stew, Swede Mash on top of a Veggie 'Meatball' dish and of course that dark Rutabaga Cinnamon Nutmeg Cake with Miso Caramel Sauce reminisce of Sticky Toffee Pudding.   

I have to admit, at first I also was not sure sbout theHazelnut Swede Lemon Drenched Cake.  I found it a little earthy on some bites, but as each day passed and I had another slice, I came to like it, really like it.   It was unlike anything that I had ever eaten, which made it a delight.  It also loved how the rosemary lemon syrup seeped beautifully into the hazelnut sponge.  

This cake can be made with eggs, or flaxseeds which will make it suitable for vegans or those who do not eat eggs.  Oh did I mention its also gluten free too.  I am sharing this with CookBlogShare hosted by Hijacked By Twins; and Simple and In Season hosted by Feeding Boys - even though Swede is a winter vegetable, you will still find it in the supermarkets springtime and Honest Mum for Brilliant Blog Posts. 

Vegan Meatballs in Paprika Mushroom Sauce

I am having a thing about veggie meatballs at the moment, its features in my diet three times this month. Not that I am grumbling, the weather in this part of the world has turned a little cold, that we have had to scrape ice of the car most mornings.  And coming home to comfort food that sticks to your ribs has been welcoming.

The vegan meatballs in this dish are steeped in a thick mushroom sauce served with mashed golden swede enhanced further with fresh thyme from the garden plot.

This recipe was actually inspired from Nigel Slater's recipe for Braised Pork Meatballs with Rib Ragu Saucei that was featured in The Guardian early on in the month.  I  adapted it to make it suitable for vegetarians and vegans alike.   Look I even copied his style of presentation, yes I am a fan of Nigel Slater - who isn't?!

Rutabaga aka Swede Date Cake with Miso Caramel Sauce

This handsome dark Rutabaga Cinnamon Nutmeg Cake has been a long time coming.  I bookmarked it way back in 2010.  For those of us living in the UK, Rutabaga is known as Swede and it is quite an underrated vegetable and also one that causes much debate Is it a Swede or a Turnip... 

I baked this Swede aka Rutabaga Cake on Good Friday.  The original recipe for Rutabaga Spice Cake hails from American Chef Patrick Fahy in an article titled Our chefs can make anything magic, even Rutabagas. I adapted the recipe a little in relation to the spices and the addition of dates.  I also decided to serve it with a lush homemade Miso Caramel Sauce which transformed it from a cake to a pudding mimicking the British Sticky Toffee Pudding found on the menu of most traditional pubs. The idea to serve it with miso caramel sauce came from one of my favourite experimental chefs in the UK Stevie Parle who made a Miso Sticky Tofee Pudding a couple of years back for Christmas eve and I have been wanting to try it for long while. 

Although I have cooked with Swede a lot.  My approach to it was often one of I could take it or leave it, I  found this muted orange waxy root vegetable too sweet in savoury dishes.  I found that like  parsnips and sweet potatoes, that the swede would be better appreciated in a Sweet cake like carrot cake.  So when I started blogging in 2009, it was nice to find some cookbooks and chefs using vegetables in cakes, veggie desserts and puddings.  

Julia Belluz in Globe Life writes an interesting article  Have you Rutabaga Cake and eat it Too.  This is praise to Harry Eastwood, British celebrity chef and cookbook author of Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache (2009).  Harry Eastwoods 80 cakes are super loaded with vegetables, but the vegetables are hidden under beautiful cake names like Orange and Drizzle Cake which is made with rutabaga, Heartache Chocolate Cake made with whole aubergines and a Victoria Sponge made with Potatoes that you would never know that this is a veggie dessert, veggie pudding and veggie cake cookbook.   Harry Eastwood is perhaps the first Veggie Desserts food writer and vegetable cookbook author in the UK.  She  opened up the imagination of chefs, home cooks and food bloggers alike. 

Other cookbooks I highly recommend with vegetables in cakes are 
 called Vegetable Desserts: Beyond Carrot Cake and Pumpkin Pie by Elizabeth Schafer and Jeanette L Miller (1998).   Much more than carrot cake for sure - a cake called Web of Intrigue described as a beetroot cheesecake.   There is also cabbage, jicama and turnip in cookies and pies.   Greens such as cucumber and peas, as well spinach, nettle and turnip greens in sweet cakes, and much much more.  Its not often obvious by the names of the recipes to what vegetable they have in them, such as Orange Drop cookies and a Mystery Pie which both have beetroot as an ingredient; or Davids Pleasure, a lemony cake which has spinach and turnip greens as the unique ingredient.  Other unusual ingredients in sweet cakes and bakes are tomatoes, onion, peppers and  honey and garlic ice-cream.  And that is not all, the cookbook also contains recipes made with lentils and beans!  I made celery cookies from it a while back. 

There is also an e book called 50 Decadent Vegetable Cake Recipes by Brenda Van Niekerk; and Baking With Vegetables (2015) 
Other Rutabaga Sweet Cake Recipes from around the world
Norwegian Rutabaga Cake with Cream Cheese Topping 
Swedish Rutabaga Cake by Viva City

City Market Rutabaga and Honey Cake
Foodland Ontario Rutabaga and Molasses Cake
Vegan Lovelie Vegan Crust less No Bake Rutabaga Pie Infused with Maple Syrup Cake

Affairs of Living with Gluten Free Honey Cake (2010) also has a fantastic recipe for Rutabaga Vanilla Mash and Rutabaga Apple Salad.

I am sharing this Rutabaga aka Swede Cinnamon Nutmeg and Date Cake with Miso Caramel Sauce with CookBlogShare hosted by Easy Peasy Foodie; and Honest Mum for Brilliant Blog Posts.

Turnip Swede and Kale Curry For St Andrews Day

I picked up a Swede -Turnip (Neep) last week thinking ahead of St Andrews Day.  I wanted to honour my friends and my time in Scotland. I also wanted to get my hands on some vegetarian haggis, as I didn't have the inclination this time round to make some vegan haggis from scratch, but as our visit to the city this weekend was cut short by the weather - we had neither home-made or shop bought haggis. 

So with St Andrews Day here, I have to admit I wasn't overly energetic or  experimental as I had done so in the past, so resorted to making a vegan Neep Curry. 

And although nothing like his recipe, I was actually inspired by Denis Cotter to make a Turnip Swede Curry from his book Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me. Denis Cotters recipe is made with leeks, double cream and yogurt. 

Happy St Andrews Day to Scottish friends in Scotland and those who have migrated to other parts of the world!

Cumin-Roasted Root Vegetables with Pearl Barley

We are due to be driving down South on New Years eve.  This wasn't planned, but welcomed by both our families.  Our first stop will be with my parents in Wales.  Whilst there we will be checking out our new rental accommodation and signing the lease to move in etc.  After that, it onwards to D's mothers, then back up to Scotland to make plans of our official home move.  

In an effort to use up fresh vegetables left over from Christmas (minus the sprouts) I decided to roast some root vegetables and garlic  in cumin seeds.  The combining of the root veg with the pearl barley was quite accidental, as my Basmati rice and Brown rice containers are bordering on empty.  So it was between couscous, to which D wrinkled his face or pearl barley. which also didn't get a good reaction - but that wasn't to last as his first mouthful saw him give the thumbs up. Although he did add it was a tad dry, to which I responded by placing a tub of soured cream on the side.  It was a good compliment to the roasted root veg.

I actually felt positively healthy eating this, a good sign for post Christmas. 

If you have any left, it will be absolutely fine to eat at room temperature too. Just think of it as a Winter Root Veg Barley Salad.

Cumin-Roasted Root Vegetable with Pearl Barley
Serve with soured cream..
Serves 4
200g pearl barley, cooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of salt
Method
Cook the pearl barley in water according to packet instructions, when cooked, drain.  Add salt and oil and combine.  Set aside until required.

For the Cumin-Roasted Root Vegetables

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 medium swede,
3 – 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 – 3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 bulb garlic, halved
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, whole
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
200ml vegetable stock
Fresh coriander or parsley for garnishing.
Serve with optional : soured cream
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 6.
In a large bowl, combine all the vegetables and spices and then drizzle on the olive oil.  Mix well, then tip onto a large tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes for the vegetables to caramelise, stirring from time to time.  After 20 minutes, pour in the vegetable stock, stir and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the stock has reduced.  Remove from the oven and stir in the cooked pearl barley, return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.  Then serve with a garnishing of freshly minced coriander or parsley.

Golden Bowl of Swede

This thick, almost velvety golden bowl of Swede Soup was made in the same manner as the Chilli Spiked Roasted Pumpkin Soup, but we didn't enjoy it the same.

Something was missing, it lacked depth.  I think this soup needs body and would be helped with a proper soup base made from onions, carrots and celery.  I know for next time, still it looked pretty good that I had to share it.  And of course it wasn't wasted.  Like it or not, we did manage to finish it with some home made machine crusty bread.

If you still want to try it for yourself, here is the recipe of sorts. 

Simply peel and chop a medium Swede into small cubes. Toss it with a little olive oil and bake in the oven at Gas mark 5. Roast for about 45 minutes or until soft and tender. Then tip it all into a food processor; or food blender, along with some vegetable stock, about 1 pint to 1½ pint and add some salt and pepper. Blend to a puree. Return to the pot and reheat.

Garam Masala Swede Filo Pie

I made this Garam Masala Swede Filo pie a few hours ago. I was in desperate need of some kitchen therapy. What began with some vigorous mashing of the swede ended up with some gentle basting of these filo (phyllo) pastry sheets, and in just moments I was magically transformed from an erratic woman to one of utter calmness.
This recipe did not come from one of my cook books. It was inspired by Garam masala Swede cakes and Garam masala Swede Soup that I've made in the past. I think this is my way of confessing that I actually like Swede aka turnip or rutabaga in other parts of the English speaking world. Well made this way I certainly do like it. The natural sweetness of this Scottish swede takes on the spices of South Asia happily.

You could in fact call this 'Garam masala Swede filo pie' a lazy mans samosa pie, or in this case a lazy womans samosa. A samosa is a stuffed pastry snack traditionally filled with spiced vegetables found in South Asian countries. Instead of making dainty individual triangular samosas, I made a huge one that can be sliced and shared at the table. Using paper thin filo pastry also cut out the pallaver of making pastry from scratch. It was a pleasant change from the usual pastry crunch, this was light and flaky. Enjoy with a generous dollop of brown sauce, it contains the secret ingredient of tamarind that goes well with spicy pastries.

I made this pie in a 10 inch fluted tart tin. You can just make out the pastry on the side of the pie.

Garam Masala Swede Filo Pie

Serves 4 or 6

You will need a 10 inch pie tin or similar
Ingredients
Medium Swede, peeled and chopped
400g potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes

120g - 160g frozen peas
2 shallots or 1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil plus extra for filo pastry
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon garam masala or to taste
1 teaspoon chilli flakes or 1 red chilli, sliced (remove seeds if you wish)
Salt to taste

Packet of filo pastry
MethodIn one pot, either steam or cook the swede in salted water for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain then mash and set aside.

In another pot, either steam or cook the potato cubes in salted water until cooked. Drain and set aside.

In another pot, boil the peas until tender. Drain and set aside.
In a wide pan, slowly fry the shallots and garlic in the oil, until soft and caramelized – this will take about 15 minutes. Halfway through the process, add the spices and cook for a few minutes more.
Now in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Season with salt to taste.

Begin lining the tart tin with individual filo pastry sheets. Allow the filo pastry to flop over the sides. Brush each layer gently with olive oil keep doing this until you have about 5 to 6 layers. Now gently spoon in the Garam Masala vegetable mix. (You may have some filling left over. Just eat as a cooks treat! ). Fill right to the top, smoothing gently as you go so that it is compact. Now top with the remaining filo pastry, again brushing each layer with oil. When all the filo pastry has been used up, begin pulling the filo pastry that is flopping to the sides to cover the top, coat generously with olive oil. Don't worry if the top is a little uneven, the ruffled effect adds a bit of character to the pie.

Bake in oven at Gas mark 4 for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.

Updated 21 April and 18th January 2011

This recipe was made by Torwen and Vintage Mum. Please follow this link to view.

Is it a Swede, no its a Turnip (neep)

Well it depends where you are.

I am about to post a recipe on my blog using Swede and whenever I do it causes much discussion. So I thought I'd show you a photograph of this vegetable.

For me this is a Swede and the vegetable below are turnips which are much smaller in size.
Author of The Great Big Vegetable Challenge writes 'turnips can be confusing'. Are they different to Swedes? She asked several gardeners who told her that the swede is in fact a Swedish turnip, known in the USA as rutabaga. To add to this confusion, in Scotland the swede is often referred to as a turnip or a 'neep'. I also flicked through one of my Scottish cookbooks: Scots Cooking written by the Sue Lawrence and virtually every recipe she has using turnip was bracketed with swede. She writes 'What we call neeps is actually short for turnip - which is in fact not what is called turnip down South (meaning England) but swede'. Here let me show you some growing at Mals Allotment in Edinburgh.

Anyway, whilst doing some research about the swede, I was surprised to learn that once upon a time in Scotland on Halloween the top of the swedes were topped, then the hard flesh inside was carefully scooped out and eyes, nose and mouth were carved out. The swede was treated very much in the same manner as the pumpkin is in the USA. These carved swedes were then threaded with a wire and hooked onto a stick. At night the children would parade the streets with their scary 'neep' lanterns.
Anyway whether you call them a swede or a turnip, let us just agree to differ and acknowledge that this purple tinged vegetable is given a different name in different parts of the country, let alone the world.

Garam Masala Swede Cakes

The Swiss chard, lentil and mango chutney pie I made a few days ago has been shrinking happily in quantity. However, the puff pastry no longer flaky, but claggy and soft. So it was not enough to reheat and serve two hungry people an evening meal. So I decided to remove the pastry and accompany the the remains with Garam masala Swede cakes. In Urdu and Hindi, Garam means warm and masala means mixture. Garam masala is a traditional condiment used in traditional South Asian cuisines to impart a certain flavour, much in the same way salt and pepper is in Western cuisine. As a child, I used to like shaking it all over homemade (orange lentil) dal. Every South Asian (M)Ummy jee (Mama) has her own take or family recipe on garam masala, but traditionally it includes black cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cardamon, coriander, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. I'm not a huge fan of cardamon, so don't often include it in mine. But then again, I don't make my own. I always get my mother to make me some. She always manages to put in the right quantity and gets the balance right. It stores well too.

Anyway, back to this recipe. The swede has been sitting in my vegetable basket now for over two weeks. I have to admit, I had bought the Swede to make some Garam masala Swede soup, but I think a change is in order as I've eaten a number of meals in the past few days with a spoon. So instead of making the named soup, I used the same flavours, just different presentation. These Swede cakes are not firm as other vegetable cakes featured on my blog. Swede is a mushy veg, so the cakes with be soft. But that should be okay for those of you who like your mash.
Spiced Garam Masala Swede Cakes
Makes about 8
Ingredients
Medium Swede, peeled and chopped
200g potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon chilli falkes or 1 red chilli, sliced (remove seeds if you wish)
Salt to taste
Fresh or dried breadcrumbs for coating*
Olive or sunflower oil for shallow frying
Method
In two separate pots, either steam or cook the swede and potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes or until soft.
While it cooks, slowly fry the garlic and shallots in the oil, until soft and caramelized – this will take about 15 minutes. Halfway through the process, add the spices and cook for a few minutes more.
Drain the swede and potatoes in a sieve. When cool enough, mash both until smooth. Then combine the mashed vegetables along with the shallot mix. Season with salt to taste, before forming into cakes.
Spread breadcrumbs into a dish and coat the cakes on both sides in the breadcrumbs. Put into fridge to firm up, until ready to cook.
Drizzle enough oil in a frying pan. Heat until quite hot and carefully add each cake. Cook until golden on each side, about 3 minutes. Make sure the sides of the cakes get browned as well.
*Optional: I have added a pinch of red chilli flakes and salt to the breadcrumbs for extra flavour and colour.

Mushroom haggis pakoras with curried neep chips

Over the years the Scottish haggis has undergone many guises from its traditional serving with mashed neeps (swede, rutabaga or turnip) and tatties (potatoes) on St Andrews Day or Robert Burns Night, to celebrate the Caledonian national bards birthday. These days there are many ways to eat the Haggis. There is haggis samosas, haggis pakoras, haggis pasty, haggis spring rolls, haggis wontons, haggis lasagne, Haggis tostados, haggis Tex Mac nachos, haggis quesadillas and even haggis wraps with winter Tzatziki.

I personally think the wider appeal of the haggis in the past few years has come about come about because of the versatility of the 'vegetarian haggis'. Previous to that not even hardcore meat eaters could stomach the thought of eating the 'real haggis' made from sheeps stomach stuffed with oatmeal, sheeps lung, heart and liver, but disguise it and it becomes a far more appealing product.

It’s only been in the past few years that Scotland has begun to recognise the contributions made by its ethnically diverse communities. Most notable for me is perhaps the visibility of Scottish Sikh communities whom whilst proudly retaining their own cultural and religious identity, have openly embraced aspects of Scottish identity. As part of Scotlands hidden 'Black history' I have learned about the Scottish Sikh Prince, I also became aware of the contributions of the New Scots: the Polish Tartan, the Scottish-Sikh or Leith Tartan. 

Such cultural influences have also impacted on cuisine. In the cities of Scotland, you will often see a Punjabi-style haggis on menus at pubs and restaurants. To the traditional haggis recipe additional ingredients such as onions, cumin seeds, garlic, ginger, green chillies and other spices are added and Naan bread, rotis and chappatis replace the traditional 'neeps' and 'tatties'.

Jeevan Singh of the band The Tartan Dhollies, wearing Leith Sikh tartan. © the artist
From Portrait of The New Asians by photographer Herman Rodriguez 2006

The traditional Burns Night supper ritual would begin with the haggis being ceremoniously led into the room by a man dressed in complete Scottish outfit and bagpipes. However, at a Sikh Burns Night supper, this duty is performed by a Scottish Sikh piper wearing his turban and kilt to identify both his religious, social and cultural heritage. This should not be a surprise, after all, Indian and Pakistani pipe bands have been popular sight at Scottish piping events in Paisley, Glasgow and Edinburgh for a long time now. Also did you know that many of the bagpipes and kilts imported into Scotland are manufactured in the Indian and Pakistani Punjab.
I have read some instances when the haggis was led into the room by a Bhangra or dhol band. Anyway, back to the Burns Supper Night. At a traditional Scottish Burns supper night, the Scottish dirk is traditionally stabbed into the haggis skin during the Burns Ode to a Haggis address, however at a Scottish Sikh event this is often replaced with a kirpan, a spiritual Sikh dagger.

Many people will be or are horrified at integration of cultural identities, and more so at the fusion of such cuisines, but think about it, many countries, even towns and cities identities are based on imports or cuisines that are fusion food. Take Dundee Marmalade for example or even a cup of Tea in Great Britain. Anyway, I digress again. Last year in acknowledgment of Scotlands diverse communities, BBC Radio Scotland transmitted a programme Ravi Burns. In place of Burns's 'Address to A Haggis', the Scottish Sikh comedian actor Sanjeev Kohli gives us Ode to a Samosa: "Wee sleekit, cowrin' triangular tastie, oh what a picnic is in thy pastry'. The novelist Alasdair Gray also recited 'To a Mouse' against a background of sitars.

Now back to my dish. You may already know that every South Asian (m)Ummi Ji whether she is from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh will have her own traditional recipe for pakoras, but the one I am using for this recipe combines both Scottish and Punjabi cuisines. I served these with curried neep chips and mint-yogurt chutney. This is my effort for a belated Burns Supper. I hope you will all approve.

To see more about the Portrait of The New Asians Exhibition see here link to National Library of Scotland

Mushroom haggis pakoras with curried neep chipsServes 4
Ingredients
For the pakoras
200g gram flour also known as chickpea or besan flour

1 tablespoon of garam masala

1 generous tablespoon of dried methi, also know as dried Fenugreek leaves

1 teaspoon cumin or Ajwain seeds (also known as Bishop weeds seeds)

Salt and red chilli powder to taste
1 fresh green chilli, minced

Tepid water as required

1 small Vegetarian Haggis

6 – 8 large Portobello mushrooms

Sunflower or olive oil for frying
Method
To make the pakora batter, put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and minced green chilli and mix. Add water gradually and mix the batter until smooth but not thick. Leave aside for 5-10 minutes.
Steam the haggis for 20 minutes, then break it up with a fork so that it can cool down.
In the meantime, wipe clean the mushrooms and cut out the core.
Heat the oil in a frying pan for 5 minutes. Scoop out a tablespoon of haggis on the mushroom, press and spread it gently with the back of the spoon. Add more haggis if required but not too much. Do this with all the mushrooms. When this is done, gently place the mushroom into the batter to coat, I use my hands, but use a spoon if you wish to ensure batter covers the mushroom.

Heat the vegetable oil. Place 2 – 3 mushrooms into the pan, ensuring not to crowd them out and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden-brown. Turn the mushroom over so that it is evenly golden. Once cooked, remove from the pan and place onto a kitchen towel to dry.

For the curried neep chips

One large swede, turnip or rutabaga, peeled and sliced into chips

Toss in generous coating of olive oil

Bake in a moderate hot oven, turning now and again until slightly golden.

In the last 10 minutes, sprinkle over either 1 teaspoon curry powder or garam masala and a sprinkling of salt. Cook for a further 10 minutes. Then serve warm.

Garam Masala Swede aka neep soup

This months 'No Croutons Required' is being hosted by Lisa of the Lisa’s Kitchen and she challenged us to create a soup or salad with root vegetables. I really like the theme of this challenge, as there are so many seasonal root vegetables around that I feel spoiled for choice, especially with my home grown vegetables. I could have made carrot soup, turnip soup, parsnip soup, even Jerusalem artichoke and ginger soup which is what I was actually going to make as I had dug up some Jerusalem artichokes from the plot this weekend, but I changed my mind as I had half a swede (grown in Perth, Scotland) left over from for the white chilli bean I had made earlier in the week.

Instead I decided to make a belly warming neep soup with some South Asian influences and why not. Here in Scotland, we have vegetarian haggis samosa and haggis pakoras here, so why not garam masala neep soup aka Swede soup with warm spices. One thing cooks should know about garam masala is you can add it the pot whilst the vegetables are cooking, or use it after as a garnish, or both – which is what I have done with this recipe.
Swede is a very plain looking vegetable but upon cooking it becomes almost golden. It is a close relative of the turnip and for this reason their names are sometimes used interchangeably. In America, Swedes are called rutabagas and in Scotland neeps. When I first moved to Scotland I made the mistake of assuming that neeps was a derivation of the word turnip as in turneep, but I was later informed by a fellow Scot that neeps were actually swede but were commonly known as Swedish turnip.

Some of you may be thinking, why didn’t I use my own home-grown swede. I don’t often eat swede that often, so I made a decision not to grow it. However, if someone had given me a dozen seedlings to plant, I would have happily taken them, as that amount would have been sufficient for me.

Anyway, back to the soup, the idea for this garam masala neep soup was heavily influenced by one of my favourite soups: curried parsnip soup made by the cookery writer Jane Grigson. I did surf the web for a similar recipe made with swede, but couldn’t find one, so decided to make my own version. I was pleasantly surprised with the result and found it actually very rich, creamy and filling. I think the soup would be delicious with a side serving of swede crisps with some garam masala and a touch of salt sprinkled on top, who needs croutons?!
I am submitting this to Lisa at Lisa’s Kitchen who is hosting Novembers 'No Croutons Required' challenge.

Garam Masala neep soup
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients
1 small swede, about 400g peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, crushed (optional)
1 red chilli, sliced
1 tablspoon of garam masala
Salt to taste
1 ½ pints of water or vegetable stock
Extra garam masala for sprinkling
Method
Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan, add the onion and garlic if using and cook for a few minutes until translucent but not coloured. Add the swede, garam masala and chilli and cook for a few minutes, then add the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer until the swede is soft. Turn off. When cool, blend the soup, adjust the seasoning, reheat and serve in warmed bowls with a sprinkling of extra garam masala if desired.

White Bean and Cabbage Stew with a Scarlet Salsa

I made this dish only for two reasons. One because I had to use a cabbage picked last weekend (I think) and two, I have been hearing a lot about 'White Chilli Bean' dishes amongst British celebrity cooks. White Chilli Bean dishes have been around for awhile, a decade in fact, but they have only become popular in the U.K recently.

Anyway, I was curious to try out a white chilli bean, so I flicked though one of my American cookbooks and decided on a recipe which contained winter vegetables including swede (also known rutabaga). On serving, this White Chilli Bean to my eyes looked more like a Cabbage Bean stew with a vibrant salsa. It did not have the spice kick, the allure of vegetables such as colourful peppers, or the deepness of black or brown beans ' vegetarian chilli'. However, the salsa was pleasant. It made the stew come alive with its smoky undertones and the zing of the coriander.
I am not saying that I did not enjoy this dish, I did, it just didn’t meet with my expectations of what a 'vegetarian chilli' should be like (an oxymoron I know), hence I have renamed it. I will at some point try out another 'white bean chilli' recipe.

The resulting quantity of this dish gave us three, maybe even four meals: in a bowl as we had yesterday, in a wrap as we had today and with rice or even potatoes later in the week.

White Bean and Cabbage Stew with a Scarlet Salsa
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the White Bean Stew
200g dried cannellini beans, cooked and drained or two tins.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium onions, finely sliced
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 green cabbage, chopped into quarter, then finely sliced
1 generous teaspoon dried oregano
1 potato, cut into ½ inch cubes
½ swede, peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Scarlet salsa
1 ancho pepper
1 chipotle pepper
2 tablespoons of sun dried tomato in oil, minced
1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
Juice from 2 limes
Bunch of coriander leaves, minced
Salt to taste
MethodFor the beans

In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, and sauté them until they soften. Add the garlic and cabbage and cook on low heat until cabbage is translucent. Add to the pot 4 cups of water, the oregano, the potato and swede cubes. Season with salt and cook for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the beans and mix well, then add a further 2 cups of water and cook until thickened.
For the salsa

In the meantime make the salsa. Soak both the ancho and chipotle pepper for ten minutes, cut open and remove seeds. Then mince finely. Place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients, including salt to taste. Leave aside for the flavours to combine. Serve in large bowls with a spoonful of salsa on top. Adapted from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons.