Peel it....
Then cut it up and put into the stock....or steam it and add salt, pepper and butter or roast it.....or mash it with cream and nutmeg...
But first of all peel it!

I got a rutabaga once, and tried to peel it, I gave up, I've never gotten another one. It was like trying to peel a pumpkin. I understand that if you get it really cold, the wax gets brittle and comes off easier, and it's easier to peel if you cut it up first.

Good luck

toss it.

Even if you get the wax off, they are an "acquired" taste IMHO, and not one I am in a hurry to acquire.

A

I love rutabega....Cut it into slices and peel the slices, then dice.

Hey, Hey.... I love rutabaga, be nice! HeHe

Don't toss it, just cut it into about quarters. Peel each quarter and cut up to the size you want.

I find peeling it in the smaller pieces much easier.

Alexa, now I know what vegetable to mack for you if you ever come my way for dinner... I can be evil too!

Nancy

"toss it."

Hehehe... My strategy for dealing with Okra!

I tend to like root vegetables -- turnips, parsnips, etc., so I suspect that I'm going to like the rutabaga.

I just couldn't figure out how to deal with the wax.

Michael, add me to the list of people who love rutabaga, it is a rather assertive flavor that some people don't like.

As Nancy said, it's easier to peel if you quarter it. Then just peel the wax and the peel off, cut it up and roast it, or use it in your soup, or steam/boil and mash it up with butter and cream. Mashed is my favorite, unfortunately, because it's the most fattening. Oh, and they are a requirement in Upper Peninsula Michigan Pasties.

I'm with you on the okra, though...

Annie

The first time I tried rutabaga I didn't like it. Of course, I tried to boil it like a potato. It was sweet yet with some almost-bitter after taste. The second time I baked it in the oven. The flavor was much better. I bet roasting it will have the same nice flavor too. If I want to do mashed rutabaga next time I will mix it with some carrots and potatoes. The rutabaga and carrot sweeten the potatoes yet the texture is still fluffy. Good to go with gravy. I have also put it into my lentil soup with other root vegetables. I pureed everything after the soup is done. You couldn't really taste rutabaga in it.

Al

A little off topic, but it reminded me of this story again and it just makes me laugh every time I think about.

We bought an older home and renovated it into an office. Lots of flowers, mint and other stuff planted around the house and back yard. We had a huge, huge rhubarb plant growing out by the garage. A temp we had working here asked if she could have it. I said sure. Scott and I came to work the next morning and she's got her huge old buick back in the alley with a huge tow chain attached to the ball hitch and the other end around the bottom of the rhubarb plant and she guns it down the alley, rhubarb flying behind her, roots and all. We laughed so hard. I can't even remember her name or what she looked like, but Scott still calls her "rutabega lady" (for some reason he just can't wrap his mind around the concept that rhubarb and rutabega are two different things)

When our Cape turnips are gone in the fall, I use rutabaga in my scalloped turnip recipe and it tastes almost as good. Dice the rutabaga (once you have it peeled). I like small dice (1/2"). Boil in salted water until just tender, drain and turn into a buttered casserole dish. Make 2 cups of a basic white sauce, adding a tiny bit of nutmeg and cayenne - and about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Pour sauce over diced, cooked rutabaga. Top casserole with fresh breadcrumbs mixed with some melted butter. Bake at 350 until bubbly. This tastes even better the next day.

seagrass

Cut the peel off with a knife from the quartered pieces. Don't try to use a peeler.

Yum, seagrass, thanks for that, it sounds delicious.

Eandhl, I didn't even THINK that maybe he'd try to use a peeler, that definitely would not work well...

Annie

Baked rutabega with a cheesy cream sauce....priceless!!
Peeling a rutabega with a carrot peeler...impossible!! LOL!
Wonder what woud happen if you put the whole rutabega in a slow oven on a couple of layers of peper towel and melted off the wax?
But it's probably lots easier to use a knife.

Now to be fair.... I've only tried Rutebaga twice - both times it was horrible, but it was boiled. Shudder. I suspect if I had it covered in a veloute with cheese and crumbs and cayenne and other really good stuff I may change my mind, but I am not in a hurry.

Do tell us how it turns out, I love all other sorts of root veggies too (except turnips, they get composted along with the rutebaga) so it isn't like I have a phobia, and I am interested in your take.....

Alexa

I had never tasted a rutabaga until I was married and my husband insisted that "turnip" was a necessary vegetable for a complete Thanksgiving dinner. As my kids grew up one joined his father and insisted on "turnip" with either stuffed turkey or chicken. Gravy was also expected. I eventually learned the vegetable in question is really a rutabaga. I have tried turnips and greatly prefer rutabaga. So--the larger they are the harder they are to cut. I made my husband or son hack it into several small chunks. Then I peeled it with a good sharp, strong knife. I put the pieces on a chopping board and hacked away until they were fairly small cubes which I then boiled until tender. All that remained was to mash with a potato masher and add lots of butter. I serve all foods unsalted and let the diner add salt at the table. I like my buttered "turnip" with salt and pepper and it is even better if there is gravy available. I now live alone and when I cook a rutabaga for myself I have to put it in a cutting board and use a hammer on the top of the knife blade until I have several smaller pieces. Then I can just lean on the knife and cut it up. I also love to serve it with pork.
Nancy

A fifty/fifty mix of carrots and rutabaga, both cut into the same size very small dice, steamed together and dressed with butter and a little salt is attractive looking and good tasting. The carrot adds some sweetness and the flavors are very compatible. The creamy/orangey color combination is pretty. I first had this in an Irish restaurant in NYC and didn't know exactly what I was eating until I asked. It has become one of my favorite ways of having rutabaga.

seagrass, Cape turnips and the similar Eastham turnips are, in fact, white rutabagas, which is why they are so big. They are NEVER called rutabagas though. It was a while before I was able to get seed for Eastham turnips because it is not commercially available. Now that I have it, I am able to save seed and grow them. Eastham turnips are wonderful.

Jim

Jim - we always include the Eastham turnips in our Thanksgiving menu. But sometimes they're too expensive so I just buy "Cape" turnips. Then, when I can't get either of those, I go for rutabagas, which have a sharper taste I think.

seagrass

Yep. Eastham turnips are a traditional Thanksgiving treat around here. And yep, they are an expensive turnip, twice the price of regular rutabagas, if not more. That sweet flavor can't be beat though. People eating them for the first time are always surprised.

Jim

I cut some rutabaga and carrot in strips to make quick and dirty stir fries. Use generous amount of oil, pan fry the rutabaga until crisp and a bit brown, add carrot strips, season with some roasted garlic and pepper. When it's almost done, toss in some peas. I will serve this with a Chinese sausage fried rice for dinner.

Al

OMG....yummy yummy !!!Stir fry!!
I started to say I like rutabega mashed with some white potato...like 2/3 rutabega and 1/3 potato...butter, cream salt and pepper, nutmeg and a little sherry...

Count me with the "toss it" crowd. Every time I get the opportunity to try it, I do and they're still terrible. And I can still remember my mother making peel the dang things while growing up. Still say you need a good sharp hatchet.

But, I will continue to try them along with other non-agreeables, just in case. You never know when you're tastes will change, or as some of you have said, the recipe will make the difference.

Beth

Use lots of butter......tastes pretty good that way.
I boil mine with a little bit of sugar in the water and then puree it in the food processor adding LOTS of butter.

Rutabaga is delicious! I wouldn't describe how I take the skin/wax off as "peeling". I use my chef's knife, cut it in half, and then in wide wedges, and then trim hard outer later off.

I like to shred it and cook it with a little butter and applesauce, until tender. Or you can mash it. Cut into strips, toss in olive oil and and roast it with some kosher salt and pepper.

I have to second Jimster's advice of cooking it with carrots - only I like them amshed together - with butter,salt and pepper it's quite good!. I like to add it to lamb or beef stew - along with potatoes and onions. It's also good cut into sticks and eaten raw.

My favorite way to cook it is in tempura, and that is also my favorite way to cook turnips. Hard root vegetables (especially onions) are my favorites for tempura, but they have to be cut to the correct size/shape. I first slice them about 1/4" thick and then cut the slices into manageable sizes, which would be in half or fourths. I haven't tried stir frying them, but that looks good also.

Lars

OK, thanks for the advice, everyone.

I would have tried to peel it with the peeler!

As I said, I'm going to use this in chicken stock, not cook it by itself.

Thje only way we (Amish-German-Mennonite)mix ate rutabaga is... peel it, slice it and put it in a pot with a beef roast and water boil it til done. Delish! We love them this way!

I agree with kframe 19 HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE

Linda

I always peel my rutabaga with my "y" peeler - never have had a problem and I cook rutabagas pretty often. I do cut them in half or quarters first. The peeler works just fine.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Good to see you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have been missed!

Alexa

Count me among the rutabaga fans.

But I'm trying to figure out the regional differences. I've never seen a waxed rutabaga and I always use an ordinary peeler to "skin" them.

Now I'm wondering. Different variety??? I don't know if I'd like them as well if they were that much work. I save the ax and cleaver for the winter squash.

Carol

Carol, here rutabaga are always waxed and there's a pretty hefty layer of it on the "beggie". I could peel it with a peeler if it wasn't for that quarter inch of wax.

They're usually from storage, we have a short growing season here, so I think they harden as they are stored, so I'm usually whacking away at one with a big knife and sometimes I have to whack the knife with my wooden mallet to get the darned things cut in half.

Annie

When I was young and very fussy my mom tried to mix turnips/rutabaga's with left over mashed potatoes. At the time in my opinion all she did was ruin good mashed potatoes. Today I love turnip/rutabaga.

In one respect it might be better if they were waxed because there's only a short season here when good rutabagas are available in the stores. Same with parsnips. It can be really difficult to find root veggies that aren't soft and shriveled unless we grow our own.

Carol

Carol, now that you mention that, they don't wax the parsnips or the turnips, only the rutabaga. I wonder why...

Annie

I'm with Carol in California. I was always taught to put a little sugar in the water when you boil them. Makes all the difference.

Susan

Waxed rutabaga? I don't believe they do it here. I notice the skin of rutabaga is very thick - pretty sure it's not wax - so I always cut the skin off with a knife. Don't think a veggie peeler can peel deep enough.

Al

So they can keep them for years.... some of them were harvested in the 90's and are still on display

(g,d,r and LOL-ing!)

Alexa

I love "yellow turnip" as my family called the rutabega. I cooked it one time for Thanksgiving, and forgot how high I had the burner on.. smelled the burning and rushed into the kitchen to save the food! I mashed the rutabega with butter, salt and pepper and told the kids it had a "nutty" flavor.. They loved it!! Now every year they ask for the nutty flavored rutabega! I've never been able to duplicate the results!. Maybe if I grill it.. it is one of my favorite veggies with roast beef, and gravy, or mixed with mash potatoes.. personally , I like to leave it lumpy, I think it gets "waxy" like over whipped potatoes if you puree it.

Count me in the 'no, thank you' camp when it comes to rutabagas.

Maybe I've never had them prepared well, but every time I've had them I've been put off by them.

As you may know, in some parts of the world rutabagas are called 'Swedes'--I know of nothing that the good people of Sweden ever did to deserve such a vile calumny.

I like them french fried just like potatoes. They are also good to cut up in the same manner and served on a veggie tray with a good dip.

Oh dear, Beverly, now you've gone and done it. Rutabaga fries.....you know I'm going to have to try it!

Annie

cside123, it wouldn't be quite the same as your "special" mashed rutabagas, but I'll bet if you mashed the veggies with browned butter, you'd really like the flavor.

Carol

I love them, any old way, but I like all root vegetables, including earthy beets and sharp turnips. Definately sweeter baked or roasted. I didn't buy them for years due to the waxy coating intimidating me. It's thick and I guess it just extends their shelf life. I buy them more now because they are cheap. I could never manage to peel all that wax off with a peeler, I use a paring knife. I cut into quarters like everyone else, and peel from there.

Kframe? How was it?

Alexa

Now I need a rutabega. I have always liked turnips, raw mostly. I'm sure I've purchased and eaten a rutabega, I just don't remember!

Haven't used it yet. I'm heading out to the store in a little bit, and after I get back I'm going to make stock. At that time I'll use it.

JMO but it ain't a pot roast without rutabega. I always add rutabega slices to my potroast. Mash'em on my plate with butter, salt and pepper. Yum!!

You can cut them into matchsticks and pickle them in left over pickled beet juice. You can use it for shawarma/Lebanese type sandwiches. I eat them pickled out of the jar.