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I had a large piece of leftover rutabaga in the fridge from making Rutabaga Apple Rösti with Hazelnuts & Emmenthaler. It wasn’t quite enough to make another dinner recipe so I turned it into a creamy appetizer.
I used a spicy smoked paprika to amp up the flavor. The rutabaga already has a strong flavor so the smoked paprika might be too much of some people’s palate. Feel free to substitute sweet instead.
The apple and apple juice bring the sweetness. You can add a few pinches of sugar if you want more.
Because of the strong flavor, I recommend pairing the spread with plain crackers or flatbread, white or multigrain, is fine, just nothing with flavor.
Rutabaga Apple Paprika Spread
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/2 onion
- 1 lb rutabaga
- 1/2 granny sweet, red apple
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1 – 8 oz brick cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- Pinch sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cut the onion into pieces
- peel the apple and cut into pieces
- peel the rutabaga and cut into pieces
- heat the oil in a small skilet.
- Add the onion and cook until transparent.
- Add the rutabaga and apple pieces and mix to combine.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the apple juice to the pan.
- Bring to a boil.
- turn the heat down to low and simmer for 45-50 minutes, until the rutabaga pieces are tender.
- Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree.
- Let the mixture cool completely
- Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Add the cream cheese in pieces and mix to combine.
- Season with the paprika, sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix together until creamy.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
