Rutabaga Research Paper

Mashed Rutabaga and Millet with roasted Garlic
The Well Fed Chemist, Bangor Maine, November 13, 2006
Purpose: To use the second tuna steak we bought on Sunday and to experiment with a bag of rutabagas that had been purchased two weeks prior.
Hypothesis: The pungent, earthy taste of rutabagas will go nicely with the rich, sweet taste of roasted garlic. By mashing roasted garlic and rutabagas with cooked millet I will be able to create a creamy dish reminiscent of mashed potatoes but with a more complex taste and the goodness of whole grains.
Introduction: I’ve been thinking about mashing up rutabagas with roasted garlic and millet for two weeks now, ever since I bought a bag of rutabagas from my favorite farm stand. I’ve never really eaten rutabagas before unless they were in a soup or used to make a stock. But, wow, what a cool flavor! Earlier in this fall I bought two one Saturday and used them in a sorghum/millet fritter mixture. With their rather strong, pungent earthly flavor I figured they would work well as a potato substitute. And roasted garlic is like a slice of gourmet heaven with minimal effort. All you really need is time. Millet, although a little strange to eat all on its own, will become almost creamy if mixed well enough after cooking. I feel like there is a lot of potential for millet in my diet, I just need to spend some time experimenting. Of course, that’s most of the fun for me when it comes to spending time in the kitchen. I’m also committed to millet because it’s one of the coveted gluten-free gains!
The other motivation for cooking this meal was to use up the leftover squash from our Saturday night sushi meal and to cook up the beautiful bok choy that I purchased on Saturday before it got too wilted in the fridge. I also had two leeks that were purchased last week and were beginning to look a little limpid and yellow around the ends. Finally there was the second tuna steak we bought on Saturday in preparation for our sushi dinner. As is often the case with our laboratory team, (me and mike!), our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. Of course, we’re working on readjusting the size of our stomachs to fit the size of our eyes.
Materials: (Fed a Family of three, but could use more Tuna if Required)
Tuna With Leeks:
1 tuna steak
sesame seeds
½ cup dry white wine (or miren)
2 table spoons olive oil
two leeks, cut in thin strips lengthwise
salt and pepper

Bok Choy with Vinegar:
3 large bok choy
vinegar to taste

Buttercup Squash
1 squash, halved with the seeds removed

Mashed Rutabagas and Millet with roasted garlic
1 cup millet
2 cups water
four-five small rutabagas
1 head of garlic with the very top removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Methods:
Tuna Steak:
Pat dry, salt and pepper each side. Place each side on dish of sesame seeds to coat. Heat pan on high, add olive oil to cover pan, sear tuna on both sides. Remove tuna from pan and add leeks to pan. Cook until leeks begin to brown, add wine and reduce. Keep adding wine and reducing until leeks are tender. Pour leeks and sauce over tuna steak. Slice and serve with generous serving of leeks.
Bok Choy:
Steam for a minute, remove from steamer, and run cold water over vegetables until cool. Dress with vinegar.
Squash:
Preheat oven to 475˚. Place halves face down, add a tiny bit of water, and bake until brown and a fork easily pierces through. (40+ mintes)
Mashed Rutabagas and Millet with Roasted Garlic:
Place rutabagas and head of garlic (with very top removed) in baking dish. Pierce rutabagas with knife or fork Drizzle with olive oil. Be sure the garlic is well covered with olive oil. Bake at 425 until rutabagas are soft and begin to brown. The garlic may take less time and it is finished when the top begins to brown and the cloves are soft. Bring millet and water to a boil in a covered pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered until water is absorbed. Give the grain a good stirring upon completion of cooking. Place millet, cubed rutabagas and garlic to a large bowl. You can simply squeeze the garlic out of their skins and into the bowl. Add salt and pepper and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Mash until a creamy consistency.
Results:
A colorful plate and something new for everyone. My mom tried medium rare tuna for the first time and we all tried the mashed rutabaga dish for the first time. The meal was enjoyed by all.
Discussion:
The mashed rutabaga/roasted garlic and millet combo was well conceived, but needed to have a little more liquid added and be more thoroughly mashed in order to obtain maximum creaminess. The bok choy needs to be dressed with some vinegar (I was the only one who did this) and it might be nice to dress the vegetable before serving so that some of the vinegars is nicely absorbed. Mike felt as though the tuna should have been more thoroughly cooked through so that it was only pink in the very center. He would also have preferred that the tuna be cooked on a hotter flame. Everyone agreed that the leeks cooked in oil and white wine was excellent.
Conclusion and Summary:
I will definitely be trying more combinations of roasted veggies mashed with grains in the future this winter. I believe that this kind of combination offers interesting flavor combinations as well as a satisfying texture for all to enjoy.