Vegetable ragout with horseradish

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g potatoes
• 200 g carrot(s)
• 200 g turnip(s), white, alternatively kohlrabi
• 100 g parsley (parsley root)
• 100 g white asparagus (only when in season)
• 100 ml vegetable stock, well salted
• 100 ml milk (whole milk)
• 100 g cheese (Gruyère), grated
• 50 g horseradish, fresh, grated
• Sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground
• Nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 stalk tarragon, freshly chopped
• 100 ml white wine, fruity (optional)
• 1 tbsp butter (optional)

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Clean and peel the vegetables. Cut the asparagus into small pieces. Cut the potatoes, turnips, and carrots into bite-sized pieces, and finely dice the parsley root. Cook everything except the asparagus in salted water until al dente. Drain half of the cooking liquid, then add chicken broth and milk. Add the finely chopped asparagus and let it reduce. Add the cheese, stirring well to dissolve the cheese. Reduce the heat to very low and season with sea salt (careful! The broth and cheese are already salty), pepper, and nutmeg. Just before serving, if desired, stir in the wine and/or butter (for a more “sloppy” flavor). Then add the grated horseradish. Quickly mix everything together and transfer to deep plates. Sprinkle with chopped tarragon and serve. This is a complete meal for vegetarians. It also goes well as a side dish with roasted chicken breast or lamb loin cooked in broth (in this case, I use chicken or veal broth). My vegetarian cousin always gets an omelet with truffle butter. Mr. Susa loves this ragout without potatoes, but with risotto and braised lamb loin. Wine recommendation: Viognier or a full-bodied white wine from Provence.