Roasted Rutabaga Stuffed with Garlic and Shallots

I peeled a rutabaga and after finding the side that it balanced on best, I cut thin slices horizontally without cutting down to the bottom. An easy way to make sure you don’t cut too deep is to put a chop stick in front and behind what you cut, so the knife is blocked by the chopstick and does not cut through.  I peeled and squashed several cloves of garlic with the flat of the knife and peeled and sliced a small bulb of a shallot. I put the garlic and the shallots slices in alternating gaps in the rutabaga. I then brushed with some olive oil, added some salt and pepper. Wrapping it in foil, I let it bake at 400° for 35 minutes before taking it out and letting it cook another 15 minutes to get a nice golden color.  It’s delicious and very easy to make. Roasted garlic and onions with any veggie is a delight.

 

 

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Grapefruit & Broccoli Salad

The salad in a mixing bowl before serving.

My best friend dropped over this morning and stayed for lunch, so I wanted to make something that did not take a lot of effort. I had trimmed broccoli florets off the heads last night when I made the Charred Tomato Broccoli Salad and had a little less than 2 cups left. I brought water to a boil and cooked the florets for 3 minutes until just tender and then cooled them in cold, running water for a couple minutes.

Meanwhile I cut up a grapefruit. I happened to have a white grapefruit so the flesh is lighter than you usually see, but I think any grapefruit will do. I trimmed away all the pith and skin and cut the segments in half and tossed it all in a bowl with the grapefruit. I diced up two fresh shallots and added them as well. Then I chopped up one sweet & sour pickled pimento and mixed it in.

After stirring everything together, I added a dash of cayenne, a splash of balsamic vinegar, about 1 tsbp of walnut oil and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. It was delicious. This made 3 servings.

The flavors were bright and fresh with a lovely blend of sweet, sour, sharp and hearty with a bit of heat. We had a couple pieces of breaded chicken tenderloin on the side and loved the taste of the dressing on the chicken. Even better, there was some left over and after marinating together for a few hours, the flavor was even richer and more multi-dimensional.