Root Vegetable And Squash Purée Recipes

ROOT VEGETABLE AND SQUASH PURéE

Steps:

• Butter 10- to 12-cup casserole. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Peel and seed squash and cut into 1-inch cubes. Peel remaining vegetables and cut into 1-inch cubes. Peel remaining vegetables and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add vegetables and bay leaves to boiling water; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Drain vegetables. Discard bay leaves.
• Puree half of vegetables in processor with half of butter and half of cream, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Transfer puree to bowl. Repeat with remaining vegetables, butter and cream. Transfer to same bowl. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Transfer puree to prepared casserole. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake puree until heated and beginning to brown on top, about 45 minutes. Serve hot.

MARBLEIZED ROOT VEGETABLE PURéE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2-quart baking dish. Cook potatoes, turnips, parsnips and pear in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Return to pot. Stir over low heat until excess moisture evaporates, about 1 minute. Add cream and 5 tablespoons butter and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook carrots in another large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Transfer to processor. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Alternate potato and carrot purees by 1/2 cupfuls in baking dish. Draw knife through purees to marbleize. Melt 1 tablespoon butter. Drizzle over purees. Sprinkle with additional nutmeg. Cover with foil. (Can be made 1 day ahead; chill.) Bake covered puree until heated through, about 35 minutes (or 45 minutes if chilled).

PUREE OF THREE ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Put all the vegetables in a large saucepan,cover with cold water and simmer, covered, 25-30 minutes or until tender; drain vegetables, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Force the potatoes through a ricer into a bowl or mash them in the bowl with a potato masher.
• Puree the parsnips in a food processor with the butter; stir into the potatoes.
• Coarsely shred the carrots into the bowl and gently but thoroughly stir them in, adding salt and pepper to taste and enough of the cooking liquid to attain the preferred consistency.
• Can be made the day before and refrigerated; reheat in microwave to serve.

WINTER ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Combine parsnips, carrots, celery root, turnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Toss vegetables to evenly distribute seasonings.
• Roast in the preheated oven until the vegetables are easily pierced with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the celery and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Stir in the roasted vegetables and continue simmering for 10 minutes. Puree the soup using an immersion blender. Stir in the half and half, and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. If the soup becomes too thick, add more vegetable broth.

ROOT VEGETABLE PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the carrots, parsnips, turnip and sweet potato with the olive oil and place the vegetables on a large baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 30-45 minutes, turning frequently. Set aside to cool.
• Peel the sweet potato. Finely chop all of the roasted vegetables and transfer to a large saucepan.
• Add the celery root, mace, nutmeg, thyme, broth and Sherry vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Add the salt and pepper. Serve with the veal shanks.

ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH PURéE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve squash lengthwise and place on a cookie sheet, cut sides up. Rub with oil, and season with salt and white pepper to taste. Roast until flesh yields easily to the touch, 30 to 60 minutes, depending on size of squash.
• Remove from oven and scoop out and discard seeds from central cavity. Scoop out flesh and place in a food processor. Process until very smooth. Transfer to a nonstick saucepan, place over low heat, and stir constantly until any liquid has evaporated and squash is dry, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a food mill and press squash through into nonstick saucepan. Stir in butter and cinnamon. Season with salt and white pepper as needed. Return to low heat just until reheated. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Reheat gently before serving.