I know, sounds sort of weird I thought too, but this spontaneous invention tasted absolutely delicious.  Over the holidays, I was lucky enough to head back to San Francisco, my old stomping grounds.  One night we ventured into the Mission neighborhood and had dinner with some of Aimee’s family at Frjtz.  Frjtz is really a Belgian/French casual dining restaurant serving excellent Fries (chips really), crepes and best of all as I learned, Mussels.

So I spent a lot of time growing up on the Maine coast, so I’ve eaten my fair share of mussels – but these mussels were out of hand.  Steamed in a coconut milk broth with lemongrass, they were hot and savory and delicious.  I set out to recreate the flavors of this dish with my own spin, adding a few flavors but mostly changing the base of the dish into a vegetable soup.  What was produced was just as delicious, though you can expect those mussels to show up here at some point as well, they were too good not to try a re-creation.

Beets are awesome.  One of the last time I cooked with them, I made red beet bruschetta with caraway seeds and Parmesan.  Not only were my hands and fingernails pink for days, but my whole digestive system was affected too, as you might imagine.  These golden beets I used in this dish are sweet mild and delicious.  The consistency of beets lends itself perfectly for a soup – a puree of beets mixed with some coconut milk, leeks and other root vegetables has a very silky texture, as I found out.  Almost the perfect soup for winter warmth on a cold night.  Here’s how it went down:

Ingredients:

• 2 medium/large golden beets – peeled and cubed
• 1 large yellow onion – coarse diced
• 2 leeks, white parts only – halved and cut into half moons
• 2 large carrots – cubed
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 small piece of ginger – peeled and diced
• Lemongrass – about 6 inches of the stalk – end cut off, quartered lengthwise and cut very thin
• 1 can (lite) coconut milk, a little more to finish with too is really good!
• 2 cups stock – vegetable or chicken works
• 2-3 Tbsp. Madras curry powder – to taste
• Pinch of nutmeg
• A few basil leaves (Thai basil preferred!!) – Chiffonade
• Salt
• Vegetable oil to coat pan

Start by prepping your veg.  Heat a pan over medium-low heat and add the oil.  Sautee the vegetables, adding the onions first (SALT), let the onions sweat, then add the carrots, leeks, basil, ginger and garlic, then the beets and lemongrass almost immediately after and a bit more salt.  Let the vegetables sautee for a few minutes, but do not let them brown at all.

Add in the stock, coconut milk and the curry powder and cover the pan.  Let the vegetables cook until they are soft.  Add the nutmeg and a little more curry powder and transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until very smooth.  If you don’t attain the right consistency, run the mixture through a fine sieve.  Garnish with a little basil and serve.

Serves 4 (or more)

The rutabaga is a yellow turnip, related to radishes and cabbage but interestingly also in the same plant genus as mustard seed. Many people don’t use Rutabaga, and opt for potatoes instead – but the rutabaga is a healthier alternative and adds better flavor than potatoes in my opinion! Next time you want to make mashed potatoes (especially to serve with seafood), try this instead! Though the end result looks a little like baby food, the color and smell of this mash is totally appealing.  This dish incorporates some Asian flavors, and will add some sweetness to your dinner plate.

This recipe started with the very basic root vegetable mash method, but walking around in the store, I happened upon some lemongrass and ginger and thought why not give it a shot?  It turned out very good, especially paired with a simple pan-seared swordfish:

• 2 medium Rutabagas (about 1/2lb., see picture) – peeled and cut into medium cubes

• 3 loose Carrots (again about 1/2-3/4lb.) – washed (peeling optional!)
• 1 stalk of Lemongrass (~2 tbsp.) – roughly chopped (remove outer layer and bottom bulb and chop like a scallion)
• 2 tbsp. Ginger – one tbsp. minced, the other roughly chopped
• 1 clove of Garlic
• 1 tbsp. Honey (more to taste)
• 2 tbsp. Butter (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil a pot of water, and add in half the lemongrass and half the ginger (the rough chopped half).  Let these aromatics boil in the water for a minute or two, then add a good pinch of salt to the water.  Add in your rutabaga and carrots and cook them until they are just cooked through, NOT TOO SOFT.  Drain and transfer back to the pot (discarding the ginger and lemongrass).

At this point, add your butter if you use it and loosely mix the vegetables.

If you have a food processor (if you don’t see below): put your garlic clove, the rest of your ginger and lemongrass into the processor and combine the ingredients.  Add the cooked rutabaga/carrot mixture, honey and pepper to the food processor and combine, adding salt to taste.

No food processor version: finely dice the lemongrass, ginger and garlic together (or in a mortar and pestle).  Add them to the pot with the rutabaga/carrot mixture and mash like you would potatoes.  Add in the honey and pepper and salt to taste.

Makes 3-4 servings