The Iconic Swede Stall

Note the jam jar for the money.
Such honesty in the south.

As we  turned at Raes Junction on our way back to Invercargill on Wednesday we spotted the sign for swedes. We traditionally stop for a good Southland swede  or two when travelling this road. We used to always stop at one just south of the Pomahaka River but this one doesn’t seem to be there these days. We suspect the children who were using it has a fund raiser have all left home. So stop we did and got ourselves three 
great looking swedes for $5. 

The size of a good Southland swede

Jessica's UK swede

This of course reminds us of Jessica’s attempt to buy a swede in the UK. She orders most of her groceries on line and has them delivered. This particular week she was making a soup that called for swede so she duly ordered her swede. Imagine her dismay when it arrived.  Not the best value for money at ₤1 especially when you compare it to the ones we bought. 

We love swede and use it in various ways. One favourite is swede soup. The swede is cooked, either boiled or steamed and then mashed. In a heavy based saucepan I saute onions and a chopped rasher or two of bacon. To this pan I add more butter and flour and cook briefly before adding the milk to make a roux sauce.  Once this is cooked I add the cooked swede and season well. For a smoother soup I use the blender stick and for a dairy free version by using chicken stock instead of milk to make the sauce. 

As a vegetable we love it cut into small cubes and boiled, drained and seasoned with a knob of butter and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.