Recipe: Pureed Root Vegetables

Our lifestyle is... well, it's ours.  That's all there is to it.  I've tried to change aspects of it over the years but it never seems to work and we inevitably seem to fall back into our typical ways.  On the surface there are quite a lot of reasons for this, but at the end of the day there are really only two: priorities and health.  I'm sure anyone living in the greater Boston area is aware of the latest Horrible Creeping Crud that's been going around - I'd say it's probably about half allergies, given the mild weather and the people who seem hardest struck by it.  At any rate, when I'm sick I don't feel like cooking.  While I might make every effort to make food ahead of time so I don't have to cook it when I'm pressed for time or not in a culinary mindset there are only so many hours.  Inevitably some of those dishes fall by the wayside.  The other issue is priorities.  We have friends.  We enjoy their company.  Often we enjoy their company while dining out.  Sure, we could probably invite them over more often, but then we'd have to plan ahead.  There's no way to plan ahead for a phone call that consists of, "I just got a cancer diagnosis, can we get together?"  You want to get together and be supportive and if you don't have meals on hand that match the dietary restrictions of your guests that means going out.  Our lifestyle therefore requires a great deal of flexibility, which means that sometimes certain dishes don't get made.  (If it's any consolation to the moralizers out there, I really do plan for us to dine at home every night.  It just doesn't actually happen.)

That's the origin of this dish.  I found myself for whatever reason with some leftover root vegetables.  We were having a Sunday dinner and so I decided that would be a good opportunity to use some of them up.  We had half of one of those massive Macomber turnips, the kind that could probably feed an entire Ethiopian village for a week.  We had a celery root - I'd intended to do something else with it but I wound up skipping it.  We had some carrots my daughter insisted we needed, lest the world come to an end.  I decided that they would go quite well as a puree.  I'm not usually a big fan of purees, but in this case it seemed like a good thing to do.  I decided to steam the vegetables rather than boil them since steaming retains more of the nutrients in the vegetables.  I'm all about the nutrients.  This might not have been the best idea.  Some of the vegetable chunks got tender but some of them did not, and I'd gotten to a point where I feared for my steamer and for my pot.  I decided to just go with it.  This necessitated adding an extra half-cup of half-and-half, giving fat that we probably didn't actually need.  Oh well.  The dish went over well with everyone but me, even my daughter liked it.  I think my distaste had more to do with frustration at the steaming failure than anything else.  Try this on a chilly winter's evening.

Pureed Root Vegetables (serves 8; approx. $1.10/serving)

1/2 Macomber turnip (about 2 normal), peeled and chopped

1 celery root, peeled and chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

Equipment:

• Steamer
• Bowl
• Immersion blender

1. Prepare your steamer for steaming.  I prefer a basket-style steamer with multiple baskets, but there are quite a few other options out there.
2. Steam the vegetables until mostly tender.  This seemed to take about a thousand years for me, but I could be exaggerating.
3. Transfer the vegetables to the bowl.  Add the nutmeg and the half and half.
4. Use the immersion blender to puree the vegetables.
5. Serve hot.

Comments

[Hugh Mannity]

This was delicious. And the leftovers I took home with me made a great accompaniment to the beef curry I served them with.

[Fearless Kitchen]

Hugh - I'm really glad you liked it! I think I just get frustrated when things don't turn out like my Grand Vision. :)

[Karen]

This is a great way to use your winter vegetables. I have mashed potatoes with winter squash before. This sounds so good with the nutmeg. Will give it a try. Thanks!