Rutabaga, Rice and Corn Bake
By Julie Cader
A giant bag of rutabaga was given to me over the weekend. Now, what do I do with all of this rutabaga? Mashed rutabaga seemed like a good idea, and I was craving yummy California rice, so here it goes! This custard-like, baked side dish will serve 6-8.
Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked California white rice (I used Kokuho Rose® rice)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
4-6 large rutabaga, peeled and cut into cubes
½ bag of frozen sweet corn with jalapeno peppers (thawed)
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
1/3 cup white sugar
1teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions
Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Preparing the rice
Prepare rice according to package directions, adding olive oil to the water.
Preparing the rutabaga
Boil rutabaga cubes in a large pot of salted water until cubes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
Place drained rutabaga into large bowl and add butter, milk, sour cream, sugar, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and beaten egg yolks. Using a food processor and working in batches, blend rutabaga mixture until smooth.
Place blended mixture back into large mixing bowl, stir in cooked rice and thawed corn.
Beat egg whites in separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the mixture. Spoon into greased casserole dish, top with remaining Parmesan cheese and bake until top is lightly browned, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Oh, and what to do with the remaining 10 pounds of rutabaga? How about some rutabaga fries or rutabaga soup! Clearly, I really like saying the word “rutabaga”!
Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission, and a big proponent of trying new recipes- especially if they feature California rice.
