"Kålrotstappe" made from locally grown vegetables

«Kålrotstappe», or mashed swede, is a dish with long traditions in Norway. Inspired by @livesustainably’s contest “Cook it fresh”, I made this a couple of days ago for my family. The “Cook it fresh” contest judges its entrants’ contributions on criteria such as food miles and seasonal vegetables. I initially thought this would be a struggle living in the far north of Europe, where nature suddenly has decided to turn the landscape into something resembling the scenery of Frozen, but as I went grocery shopping, I did find locally grown (admittedly not within the last couple of months) vegetables.

The swede has been used in Norway since the 1600s and is called "The orange of the North" because it is so full of vitamin C, just like oranges. It is low in calories, but high in fibres.
Here's how you make "Kålrotstappe":

So, the ingredients in “Kålrotstappe” are few: swede and carrots. Some people prefer it with only swede, but I like the taste and colour the carrot brings to the dish.

Peel the vegetables, cut into small cubes, and boil until tender. As a sidedish for 2-3 people I used 300 grams swede and 200 grams carrot.

Drain the excess water.

I used my handblender to mash the vegetables – a masher will also do the trick. Mash until it is as smooth as you wish.

For flavor, add a sizeable chunk of butter, and season with salt and pepper. A dash of cream can be added, but I didn’t have any so I had to do without. Find a suitable bowl.

All done!

The “Kålrotstappe” is so easy to make. It's sweet and smooth, and is often used alongside salted or smoked meat, which is how meat was preserved in these parts prior to refrigerators and other modern appliances. It is also very good with fish, especially cod, like we had that day.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this inspired you to try something new and unfamiliar.
-@lil-mich