The Rutabaga Post

As I said in my last post, I have a turnip (really, an orange and purple rutabaga) in my fridge which has been sitting around far too long in all its waxed glory. I really wish that vegetable growers would not wax their produce, but that's another post. I considered roasting it, which would have been delicious, but as I went the fridge, I saw the remains of a big bag of kale that also needed to be used, so the solution was clear: Kale and Rutabaga Soup!

Now, don't turn your nose up at this combination of two vastly underrated and largely unloved veggies - it made a beautiful looking and delicious, slightly sweet soup. Here's how I did it:

Rutabaga and Kale Soup
3/4 Cup split peas, soaked for an hour in warm water
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and chopped in 1/2" dice
Fresh kale, cut in ribbons, about 1/4 lb
3 C veggie stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Adobo seasoning (instead of salt)
1/2 tsp cayenne

Soak the peas, then drain and set aside. While they are soaking, prep all the veggies: peel and dice the rutabaga, wash the kale and cut into ribbons, chop the onion. Saute the onion in the olive oil in a 5 qt dutch oven. Add the rest rutabaga and saute another minute or two, then the bay leaves, Adobo and cayenne, the peas, the kale and the stock. Stir well, cover and simmer for an hour until all the veggies are nicely tender but still retain their shape. Taste for saltiness.

Dear Daughter the eating machine had The Boyfriend over while the soup was simmering. I wondered if TBF would actually eat it - so I made some egg salad for sandwiches as a back up. He loved it, even though he had never had either vegetable. Like I said in an earlier post, I like The Boyfriend. He was brought up right.

We all had egg salad sandwiches to go with the soup and it made a nice Sunday supper, especially since I have bronchitis and I really needed soup.

NOTES: I used Vogue Veggie Base to make the stock. This did not make a lot of liquid, but it was still delicious. If I thickened the liquid slightly, this would be good over rice or millet or another grain, and would boost the nutrition. Because this was naturally sweet, I think I might put a splash of lemon juice in it for lunch today. I'm glad I restrained myself and didn't put any garlic or lots of herbs in because the clean flavor of the veggies really shine. This soup made me think of autumn, with the beautiful orange of the rutabaga, so I think I'll try this again when the weather turns cool..... which is January here in the Low Country!

Happy eating!