Tuesday, June 19, 2007

A simple recipe for using neeps, swedes, rutabagas & yellow turnips: rutabaga & pineapple salad

Who would have thought that a simple root vegetable, Brassica napus var. napobrassica can cause so much confusion? According to wikipedia,

- in Southern England and most Commonwealth countries, it is known as swede or Swedish turnip
- in Northern England, Ireland and Cornwall, as well as Atlantic Canada it is called turnip
- in Scotland, it's called turnip or neeps (and yes, it is served with haggis & tatties)
- in the United States, you'll know it as rutabaga or yellow turnip

In Estonia, it's called kaalikas - not to be confused with naeris, which is turnip in the US, Southern England and most Commonwealth countries, white turnip in Cornwall and swede or tumshie in Scotland. And to confuse the matters even more, it seems that what is known as turnip in Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines, is actually a jicama (at least in the US), known as yam bean in Southern England and most Commonwealth countries, and mehhiko naeris in Estonian. Got that??

Me neither..

In any case I picked up couple of new season's neeps at the Tallinn Central Market yesterday morning, and made a very simple but delightful side salad with them in the evening. Whereas I'd usually cook neeps, then young and small neeps are sweet, crisp and juicy and excellent raw in salads.

Rutabaga & pineapple salad
Kaalika-ananassisalat
Recipe adapted from Ruokamaailma 9/2004
Serves 3-4 as a side dish. Can be easily doubled etc



2-3 small and young swedes/rutabagas/neeps, peeled and coarsely grated (about 250 grams peeled weight)
a small 225 gram can of pineapple chunks in pineapple juice
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt

Mix grated swede/rutabaga/neep, pineapple chunks and chopped parsley. Add a spoonful or two of pineapple liquid to moisten and season with sea salt.
Serve as a side salad to some grilled meat or as part of a buffet table.
Best eaten on the day it's made.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow, thanks for the information! I did not know that the jicama was actually what we know as the turnip in the Philippines.The salad looks delicious.

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

I never think of using turnips (or rutabagas) in a salad; usually these root vegetables are the basis for something stewed. Nice idea -- I will definitely bookmark this recipe.

Alanna Kellogg said...

I just love the idea of these raw vegetable salads and swede (my name, along w rutabaga) and pineapple seem like a magical combination - "bookmark"!

Freya said...

That is an interesting way to serve swede but I imagine that it's sweetness works well with the pineapple!

Evelin said...

jube, eks! kui esimest korda seda tõlget otsisin, siis mõtlesin, et lähen hulluks. ja jäin pidama 'swede' peal, inglane nagu ma olen. 'turnip' on minu koljus naerina kinni alates kolmandast klassist, kui kõige blondimana, isa rohelised sokid üle sandaalide tõmmatud, inglise klassi näidendis seda mängima pidin. elu on kummaline.xandls

Tea said...

Wow, you've got me confused now!:-)
Any chance you could post a picture of what it looks like before it's cooked? I just want to make sure I'm buying the right vegetable!

lobstersquad said...

well, thanks for that. I´m always confused by all the names. Not that we have any of them in Madrid, but still, good to know.

Lauren said...

I've often tried to convince people that swedes and turnips were different vegetables - now I know why they were confused!

Nice salad idea - I've tried something similar with celeriac too.

Anonymous said...

That looks like a really refreshing salad Pille!

Here's something to add to your list: What is called a jicama in the US is called sinkamas in the Philippines :) I haven't seen any rutabagas...unless they also go by a different name here...

Pille said...

Veron - according to the wikipedia link above, it's known as turnip. But Joey says it's sinkamas in the Philippines. Who knows?

Lydia - I'd always stew or cook older and larger speciments. But these ones were so small and crips and young, that I didn't want to spoil them by cooking..

Alanna - thanks!

Freya - it was really sweet indeed, but with a hint of bitterness. I liked the swede/neep and pineapple pairing, and will be serving it again.

Evelin - no vot. Nii et Sul 'inglasena' on turnip naeris ja swede kaalikas. Aga mul 'šotlasena' (no ikkagi seitse aastat seal) on neep ehk turnip kindlalt kaalikas ja turnip naeris. Segadus missugune :)

Tea - good idea! I'll get some more from the market this weekend, and post it for you.

Lobstersquad - not sure if I managed to clear things up, or whether I confused my readers even more!!

Lauren - I've mixed grated celeriac with a spoonful of mayonnaise - rather nice.

Joey - now I am REALLY confused! That wikipedia entry doesn't even give an equivalent term in Philippines, so I guess it's simply not available.

www.leroywatson4.wordpress.com said...

This looks delicious. I am thinking about making a swede salad myself as Jane and I have gone totally raw this month. Thanks for the information. Happy blogging, lee (www.thebeachhousekitchen.wordpress.com)