Winter Stew of Braised Rutabagas with Carrots, Potatoes and Parsley Sauce

The following recipe is from Deborah Madison's book, Vegetable Literacy published by 10 Speed Press in 2013. Some of the details from the book have been left off of the following summary, but she says, this can “become a soup with the addition of more liquid, or a purée with a spin in a food processor or a food mill…” For those of you who like to cook, there is nothing better than a collection of cookbooks for those moments of browsing as you think about what to make for dinner.

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sunflower seed oil
1 onion, cut into 1-inch dice
Generous 1-pound rutabaga, thickly peeled and quartered
8 ounces yellow-fleshed potatoes, scrubbed and cut into neat wedges
2 hefty carrots, scrubbed, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths, and wider ends quartered lengthwise
Pinch of dried thyme, or 1 thyme sprig
2 bay leaves
sea salt
1 cup water or vegetable or chicken stock
2 to 3 teaspoons mustard
freshly ground pepper
Parsley Sauce, or chopped parsley

Heat the butter and oil in a wide sauté pan with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion, rutabagas, potatoes, carrots, thyme and bay leaves, turn to coat, and season with 1 teaspoon salt.  Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.  Add the water, cover, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook for 20 minutes.  Check to see how tender the vegetables are and how much liquid is left.  When the vegetables are nearly tender, stir in the mustard and then continue cooking without the lid to reduce the cooking liquid.

Remove and discard the bay and thyme (if used).  Taste for salt and season with pepper.  Finish each serving with a spoonful of minced parsley.