*you may be wondering why the photos below are not of anything in the “roulade” shape. i’ll explain, i messed up the very end. but only in shape, so read on.
this my friends, is without a doubt, the most ridiculous things i’ve ever made. where to start? it begins with a cookbook, written in 1982, called the victory garden cookbook. my aunt olga, who grows much of her own produce in her amazing home outside of san diego, gave it to me as a gift for my wedding shower. the book is organized by vegetable and has tons of interesting recipes, with references to some things that go over my head since i wasn’t into cooking and gardening in the early 80s. that came later in life.
i read through the entire cookbook in an evening and bookmarked everything that sounded kind of awesome, things that i’d never thought of or seen elsewhere. then i set off to the madison farmer’s market, which, i like to brag, is one of the best in the nation. because of our cold and snowy spring, there is still a limited variety of vegetables available at the market. but i did find plenty of rutabagas and spinach, so it felt like this recipe was meant to be.
my other motivation for choosing this dish is i’ve never actually cooked rutabagas before. i actually am not certain if i’ve ever eaten one before, although i felt pretty confident that i knew what it tasted like. so of course i had to try. and while discussing rutabagas with jason he contributed quite possible his most important culinary critique, “rutabagas are one big, dumb, root vegetable.” it’s kind of true – they are huge and grow in the ground. they’re what happened when turnips and cabbage had a baby. a big dumb baby that buried its head in the ground. how could i not buy it?
well let me tell you, this recipe is a hoot. first of all, i used every kitchen appliance and tool i had (food processor, stand mixer, hand mixer, oven, stove, pots (5), pans (1), bowls (5), spoons (3)), and probably some others that i’m forgetting. i even broke my own rule of never cleaning as i go (although jason often follows me around and washes things before i’m done using them). i broke my rule for two reasons: one, i was actually running out of space to put dirty dishes and two, i thought jason would have a heart attack if he came home halfway through this chaos.
unfortunately for me, in hurrying to finish this dish, i misread the instructions on how to transfer the rutabaga dough from the baking dish, so i ended up with more of a pie than a roulade, but the taste is nonetheless the exact same. so you’re probably thinking, was it worth it? after all that, does ridiculous equal amazing? well i have to say, it is really delicious. the rutabaga ‘souffle’ as it is referred to in the cookbook is very light and delicate, very different from anything i’ve tasted. the creamed spinach is a classic, and great on its own, but pairs very nicely with the rutabaga.
delicious enough for all the work? questionable. would i make it again? probably, just to correct my mistake and get it to actually form into a roulade. would i recommend that you make it? only if you’re feeling extra ambitious.
- 2 lb baby spinach, stems trimmed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2½ lb rutabagas, washed, peeled, and cut into quarters or eighths
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1½ cups milk (i used soy. the recipe doesn't specify but i assume something like 2% would work nicely as well)
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add rutabaga pieces and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until rutabaga is soft and can be mashed (think like a potato).
- While the rutabaga is cooking, make the creamed spinach. Pour about an inch of water into a large pot and set a colander on top so the bottom is just off the water. Bring the water to a boil and fill colander with spinach (I did it in batches), cover with lid and steam for 5-6 minutes, until spinach is wilted but has not lost its color.
- Transfer to bowl and repeat process until all spinach is steamed. Drain additional water from spinach and chop coarsely.
- Melt butter in a large pan and add spinach over high heat, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes, until all liquid is gone.
- Reduce heat to medium, add flour, and stir gently.
- Reduce heat to low and add in cream, mixing well.
- Cover the pan and cook for 15-25 minutes, until most of cream is absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Once rutabagas are soft, remove from water and puree in food processor. transfer to large mixing bowl.
- In a small pot, heat milk on low heat until hot but not boiling.
- Meanwhile, in a medium sized pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add in flour, one tablespoon at a time, mixing as you go to make sure butter and flour are well integrated.
- Remove from heat and pour hot milk into pot with butter. Use a hand mixer to whisk together.
- Place back on heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Pour milk mixture over rutabaga puree.
- Place bowl on stand mixer and beat together until consistent mixture forms. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat your oven to 400.
- Separate the egg yolks and whites into two bowls.
- Add yolks, a little bit at a time, to bowl with puree, mixing at low speed.
- Then, beat egg whites using a hand mixer until peaks form. Add cream of tartar and a pinch of salt, and beat until firm peaks form.
- Add a quarter of the egg white mixture to the puree and mix on low. Remove from stand mixer, and manually fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and brush onto parchment paper.
- Pour rutabaga mixture into baking sheet, smoothing out with a spoon, and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes, then cover the dish with a clean kitchen towel. Place a large cookie sheet or a large cutting board on top of the towel and flip over so dough is on the towel.
- Warm up creamed spinach dish and spread over rutabaga dough, staying about an inch away from the ends. Use the towel to help roll the roulade lengthwise to form into a log (without the towel, I can tell you this isn't possible, the dough breaks apart).
- Place a platter or cutting board at the edge of the towel and roll roulade onto the platter. Serve immediately. If it doesn't look like yours is going to roll, do what I did and fold the ends in, and make it a pie.
slightly adapted from the victory garden cookbook.
Way to go. I’m proud of you.
writes OlgaWhy thank you! I hope the other recipes I’ve chosen will be slightly more successful.
writes Vicky[…] take hours to make and then make me question why I even do this in the first place (case in point: rutabaga roulade). This dish, this seafood brodetto, which seems like it should fit into that category, is the exact […]
writes Ridiculously Simple Yet Totally Fancy Seafood Brodetto - things i made today[…] probably over stating the complexity of making this dish. this isn’t the rutabaga roulade, which, after careful reflection i am thoroughly convinced was not anywhere close to worth the […]
writes lentil cakes tikka masala - Things I Made Today[…] yesterday’s ridiculousness with the rutabaga roulade, i really wanted to make something simple. and safe. and […]
writes ginger steamed cod with asparagus | Things I Made Today[…] about 6 months ago, i opened up a cookbook that i got as a gift and tried to make the most ridiculous dish of all time. […]
writes sweet cabbage strudel - Things I Made Today[…] rutabaga roulade, which is documented for history’s sake as the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever made in […]
writes Pork Roulade with Mushrooms, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Olives - Things I Made Today