Taming of the swede!

Asked on 17 Feb 2020 by Dawne

Hi Lindsey. Do you have any tips for chopping swede. Whenever I use Delia’s recipe which specifies Swede in the ingredients I dismay. The vegetable is very hard and I find it impossible to cut through. I would truly be very grateful for any suggestions on how to chop this veg.
Thanks
Dawn

Lindsey, Food Editor replied

Hello Dawn,

I agree that swede isn’t an easy vegetable to prepare.

For the equipment I suggest…

A heavy / sturdy wooden or bamboo chopping board.

A large sharp cooks’ knife

A sturdy ‘Y’ peeler – something like good grips.

For the vegetable itself it may be that 2 small or 2 halved swedes are much easier to prepare than 1 very large swede.

Peel the vegetable first then if using whole, cut it in half with a large cooks’ knife. Then lay it down on its cut side so it can then be much more easily sliced and then cut into cubes / pieces.

I hope that helps.

Best wishes

Lindsey

PS. I saw that Lakeland have a special offer on OXO equipment at the moment

Dawne replied

Hi Lynsey
Thanks for your reply. I have very good quality knives and have used the method you suggested.
Thanks for trying to help though. I appreciate it.
Regards
Dawn