A Recipe for Homemade Carrot & Swede Mash
This carrot swede mash (The Veg Space) is super simple to make, and makes a nice change from white potatoes. Swede is a very tasty vegetable. This is an ideal recipe to use up leftover swede, if you’ve roasted some for Sunday lunch.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (nutmeg often served with swede is unsafe near animal friends). Don’t feed salted/buttered mash to pets, garden birds or wildfowl.
A Brief History of Swede
Swede (Americans call it ‘rutabaga’) likely originated in Scandinavia or Russia several centuries ago. Related to turnip and cabbage, it’s grown to withstand cooler climates, and became popular in the 18th century, as it stores well in winter.
Good in soups and stews, swede is also popular in Sweden and Germany, where it’s mashed, roasted or added to winter casseroles. Packed with nutrition (fibre, vitamin C, B vitamins and potassium), it’s also low in calories (just 50 calories in one cup).
So if you have a sweet tooth, get to know swede, as a big bowl of swede mash will satisfy a sweet tooth, and do you lots of good!
Tips to Use Leftover Swede
- Add cooked swede to soups, for a lovely creamy texture.
- Diced swede holds its shape during cooking, so good to add to veggie casseroles and stews.
- Swede roasts nicely alongside carrots and parsnips, developing caramelised flavours.
- Stir into a veggie curry with chickpeas, for a lovely sweet flavour.
Vegan Swede Mash Cakes
Stir 1 chopped onion or spring onion into 2 cups of leftover swede mesh, add 2 tablespoons of oat flour and season well. Mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil or vegan butter (Flora has no palm oil) and form into patties. Fry 4 minutes each side, and serve with a fresh green salad and tangy vegan yoghurt dip.
Creamy Vegan Swede and Carrot Soup
Fry chopped onion and garlic in oil until soft, then add chopped leftover swede and carrots. Pour in some good veggie stock and simmer for 15 minutes, then use a hand blender to smooth. Stir in 100ml of oat cream, and season to taste. Serve with crusty bread.
How to Buy and Store Swede
- Store in a cool dark place (or your fridge’s veggie drawer).
- Keep swede whole and unpeeled (don’t wash), to slow moisture loss.
- Store cut swede in silicone food bags, to stop it drying out.
- Use within 1 or 2 weeks for best texture and flavour.
Supermarket ‘Greenwashing’ for ‘Cheap Winter Vegetables’
Recently, the big supermarkets have all got involved in offering ‘cheap winter deals’ for Clubcard and Nectar card holders, with deals on swede, parsnip, carrots and potatoes. You can now buy a nice bunch of tasty root veggies for just 15p.
Sounds good? For a start, if this is cheaper than what’s offered at farmers’ markets (the supermarkets are covering the price by selling high-priced junk food) that will price your local farmer out of business.
And secondly, British Growers CEO Jack Ward says ‘Is that really a cause for celebration? if I can buy it for 15p at Christmas, why is it 65p the rest of the year? Deep discounting comes at a cost’.
