Rutabaga and Apple Soup

The rutabaga before the soup

A few weeks ago, I picked up a rutabaga at the farmer's market for the first time. I was kind of at a loss as to what to do with it. So, as usual when faced with a new vegetable, I turned to soup. I poked around on line and through my cookbooks for ideas and inspiration. This recipe from The Inn at Little Washington was actually mentioned in two of my books and on many of the sites I visited. It looked delicious, but all that butter! 2 cups of heavy cream! It was a bit too heavy for a weeknight dinner. And I didn't have the sweet potatoes and squash on hand. I used the recipe as a guide, but made a few tweaks out of necessity.

Rutabaga and Apple Soup
adapted from Patrick O'Connell's Apple Rutabaga Soup
serves 4 to 6

2 Tbl Butter
1 rutabaga, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
4-5 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
4-5 cups of stock, chicken or veggie
1/2 cup of Milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup maple syrup

Melt butter in a dutch oven or large saucepan. Add the rutabaga, onion, carrots and apple. Sauté over medium high heat until the onions are translucent.

Add your stock, making sure the veggies are covered by about an inch, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until veggies are tender.

With an immersion blender, puree. Stir in milk and maple syrup and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

**So, no picture of the finished product. I remembered to take a picture of the raw rutabaga, but I forgot to take a picture of the soup. Truthfully, that's been the hardest part of this blog experience. I either forget to take pictures or I don't take a great picture. So, I'm working on it, but be patient with me!