Good Taste / January 2007
Try a New Root
Familiar foods are a quick and easy way to please the family palate, but they can lead to a culinary rut. It’s too cold to garden, but get back to the earth this winter with root vegetables Root vegetables are underground plant parts that provide flavor, texture and nutrition for the dinner table. Most root vegetables are available year round, but during winter they really come into their own. They’re versatile, affordable and packed with vitamins, minerals and flavor. They are perfect for soups, casseroles, stews, and as side dishes to any meat. And, they’re an interesting change for the cook.
Carrots and potatoes are root vegetables, too, but winter is the time to explore their lesser known cousins, like, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, salsify and celeriac. The underground, under-appreciated veggies are healthful additions to any meal, loaded with nutrition and dietary fiber, rich in flavor, and easy on the pocketbook.
Rutabagas and turnips are members of the mustard family while parsnips are fibrous root vegetables related to the carrot. Salsify is a vegetable also known as vegetable oyster or the oyster plant, reflecting the root’s taste. Salsify is a member of the sunflower family and looks like a thin parsnip. The leaves are edible, too and can be used in salads. The salsify root can be cut into half inch cubes and added to stews and soups. Or, it can be microwaved, boiled, steamed, creamed, or mashed. Fried, mashed salsify patties are an interesting alternative to potato cakes. The salsify root has an unusual taste, some say like an oyster, others say artichoke heart, which it resembles in texture after cooking. Serving salsify is a healthy decision-it has no cholesterol or fat, is low in sodium, an excellent source of dietary fiber and a serving of about 2/3 cup has just 60 calories.
Parsnips look like extra large, ivory carrots. Americans choose potatoes now as their starch but parsnips were once prized for their sweet, nutty taste and nutritional value. They grew wild in Europe and were a luxury item for the Roman aristocracy, usually served sweetened with honey or in fruited cakes and desserts.
Low in calories, parsnips can be eaten raw or cooked. As a side dish, they can be sauteed in olive oil, with a splash of wine and a splash of water or boiled and mashed with a pinch of mace or nutmeg. Peeled and sliced, they can be added to soups or stews. To roast parsnips, peel and slice in half lengthwise. Toss in some extra virgin olive oil and spread out on a lightly oiled baking pan. Roast in a 400 oven for 25 to 35 minutes, turning frequently to avoid sticking and burning. Season if desired.
Celeriac is a knobby root that looks a bit like a turnip but tastes like celery. It isn’t as popular as other root vegetables, possibly because of the unattractive, tangled looking rootlets that grow at the base. But the flavor is very attractive, in soups and stews, mashed like potatoes or with potatoes, in casseroles and baked dishes. Celeriac is low in carbohydrates, and goes well with other root vegetables like potatos, parsnips, and beets. Celeriac root can also be eaten raw, grated into salads or used for dipping. In salads, it is best paired with strong flavors like beets, walnuts, apples, carrots, capers, mustard, and onion.
Beets, known as beetroot in most of the world, are colorful, naturally sweet, high in sodium and nutritious. Beetroot is often pickled and added to salads, but it can also be eaten like potatoes or turnips, fried, baked in the skin, hollowed out and stuffed or used for borscht soup.
Beetroot is among the sweetest of vegetables, containing more sugar than carrots or sweet corn and significant amounts of vitamin C in the roots, and vitamin A in the tops. Beets are also high in folate, dietary fiber and antioxidants and have just 31 calories a cup. A tablespoon of vinegar added to beet cooking water will reduce the odor of the cooking beets, and help them retain their bright color.
Turnips have purple, green or white skin and a subtle, peppery flavor. Steam young turnips until tender or grate them into a salad. Peel, dice and boil older turnips. Turnip mash can be delicious mixed with other mashed vegetables, like parsnips, carrots or potatoes.
Radishes come in all shapes, sizes and colors, though the small red and white radishes are most often found in stores. Like beetroot, radishes are often eaten raw in salads, but they also taste good in stews, curries and casseroles, or sliced and gently fried until almost transparent.
Jerusalem artichokes are root vegetables from the sunflower family. They taste similar to artichokes, hence the name, and can be boiled, mashed, roasted or grated raw into salads. Like other root vegetables, they can be mixed with mashed potatoes, carrots or turnips and are good for making soup.
Take root! Warm up the kitchen with fresh flavors and enjoy down to earth cooking with a new look at root vegetables. PL
Honeyed Parsnips
1 1/2 lb Parsnips-diagonally sliced into half inch pieces
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS butter
1 TBS honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp grated orange peel
Peel and diagonally slice parsnips into 1/2 inch pieces. In a saucepan, cook parsnips in water and salt over medium heat until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and remove from pan. In same pan heat butter, honey, juice and orange peel together. Toss with parsnips and a little salt, if desired.
Parsnip Potato Puree
1 pound parsnips, peeled and quartered crosswise
1 large russet potato, about 6 oz, peeled and quartered
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2-4 ounces unsalted, room temperature butter
1 TBS minced flatleaf parsley
Place the parsnips and potato in a medium pot and cover generously with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until very tender and almost falling apart, for about 20 minutes; drain. Remove from heat and mash the vegetables fully. Return to medium heat, stirring until warm. Add butter and stir until smooth. Mix in parsley and serve hot.
Stuffed Turnips
6 turnips, evenly sized
1 TBS butter
2 slices bacon
2 tsp milk
1/2 tsp chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Boil turnips until tender, and cut off tops and scoop out center Chop centers fine with crumbled bacon, onion, bread crumbs and milk and fry all in butter. Fill turnip shells, sprinkle with crumbs, add a piece of butter on each and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Celeriac Mash
3 cups of half inch diced, peeled celeriac from about one 18-ounce celeriac
1 12-ounce russet potato, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 TBS butter
Cook celeriac in large saucepan of boiling salted water 15 minutes. Add potato and boil until celeriac and potato are very tender, about 15 minutes longer. Drain. Return to same saucepan; stir over medium-high heat until any excess liquid in pan evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add cream and butter; mash until mixture is almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Beets Parmesan
16 tiny boiled, peeled beets
Freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Put the beets into a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cream. Cook over low heat, stirring carefully, until the beets and the cream are heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and cook until cheese is melted and the cream thickens. Serve very hot. Yield: 4 to 6 servings
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