Posted Feb 6, 2011
They’re at the root of the hearty winter meal.
In past centuries the mainstay of the human diet, root vegetables are regaining popularity nationwide for their versatility and flavor.
Cooks have moved far beyond basic potatoes and onions. The Food Channel predicted the rise of root vegetables – particularly in upscale side dishes – as a major restaurant trend for 2011. Chefs, already enamored with heirloom beets, are rediscovering the joys of turnips, parsnips and other old-time favorites.
“Really big so far this year are yellow or golden turnips,” said Suzanne Ashworth of Del Rio Botanical, a West Sacramento, Calif., organic farm that caters to many local restaurants’ chefs. “They’re doing for turnips what yellow potatoes did for potatoes – they’re sweeter and they look like they’re pre-buttered.”
Recently, Bon Appetit magazine announced, “We dig root vegetables.”
Taste restaurant in Plymouth, Calif., has paired roast turnips with its grilled filet mignon. Mulvaney’s B&L in midtown Sacramento serves roasted roots with short-rib ravioli. The Waterboy, also in midtown, offers celery root (celeriac) mashed potatoes alongside its fried chicken – and stuffs that versatile root inside pasta.
New cookbooks such as “Recipes From the Root Cellar: 250 Fresh Ways To Enjoy Winter Vegetables” by Andrea Chesman (Storey Publishing, $18.95, 387 pages) and “The Complete Root Cellar Book” by Steve Maxwell and Jennifer Mac Kenzie (Robert Rose, $24.95, 256 pages) are tapping roots in new ways.
Why all the attention? Root vegetables are nutritional powerhouses, packed with vitamins and flavor. At grocery stores and farmers markets, they’re relatively cheap. They can be stored for weeks or even months. And, of course, they’re fresh just in time for comforting winter meals.
Chesman, who lives in rural Vermont, appreciates root vegetables for their longevity and versatility.
“Roasting is the best thing to do to root vegetables,” she said in a phone interview. “It brings out their natural sugars.”
Roasting is easy: Peel and cut roots into 1-inch wedges or cubes. (Baby beets, turnips and carrots can be left whole.) Spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Add some thyme, oregano or other herbs if desired. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees or until fork tender.
“People make the mistake of cutting pieces too big and crowding the sheet pan,” Chesman said. “You really want to use a sheet pan (instead of a large baking dish) with a shallow rim. You don’t need much oil; you can drain any excess on paper towels before serving.
“The only bad thing about roasting – they shrink so much! You fill the whole pan and end up with just a little.”
Root vegetables can also be cooked alongside a beef, pork or lamb roast. And Chesman suggested serving roasted roots with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or her new favorite, pomegranate molasses.
Roasting takes time, but root veggies can be quick, too. “What surprised me is that I discovered I could shred just about any root vegetable and cook it quickly in a skillet as a stir-fry,” Chesman said. “It was ready in just 10 minutes.”
Cubes of turnip or rutabaga can be added to soups or stews to thicken the broth and boost the nutrients. Another hint: A teaspoon of sugar brings out the flavor in boiled turnips and rutabagas.
Interest in heirloom vegetables has taken root with consumers of these underground staples. Novel twists on old favorites are particularly popular.
Each January, for example, Del Rio Botanical includes gold turnips and purple carrots in its community-supported agriculture, or CSA, boxes, introducing home cooks to unusual variations.
“Purple, gold or white carrots – any color but orange is hot,” Ashworth said. “Purple carrots are a little higher in beta carotene and antioxidants, too. The important point is eating carrots.”
Beets also remain popular. In winter, restaurants replace tomato salad plates with mixed beet combos. But chefs tend to gravitate toward non-red varieties.
“All red beets bleed,” Ashworth explained. “They turn everything shocking pink and just seem to drool red all over the plate. Golden beets, white beets, even (two-toned) Chioggia beets do much better.”
Among the unusual roots catching on with top chefs are celeriac, sunchokes, yacon and crosne du Japon.
“Celeriac has been underappreciated for a long time,” Ashworth said. “It’s great mixed with mashed potatoes. Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) have a good following already. Yacon – an ancient Peruvian vegetable – is gaining interest, too. We’re getting requests for crosne du Japon.”
Yacon is similar to jicama, the Mexican yam bean.
Definitely one of the more unusual root vegetables, crosne du Japon – also called Japanese or Chinese artichoke or knotroot – looks like puffy caterpillars. A member of the mint family, it’s no relation to artichokes, globe or Jerusalem but is very popular in France and Asia. It’s part of Chinese New Year celebrations as red-dyed “chorogi,” which means “longevity.” Eating it is considered good luck.
As a side dish, almost all root vegetables are good boiled and mashed, with or without potatoes.
Said Chesman, “Just serve them with a little salt and lots of butter.”
GET TO THE ROOTS
Beet: A common vegetable since 800 B.C., the beet gets its red color from betalain – as do bougainvillea and amaranth – but this nutritious root also comes in gold, white and striped varieties. The Romans, who considered the beet an aphrodisiac, spread its use throughout their empire. For best flavor, choose small or medium beets that are firm.
Carrot: High in the antioxidant beta carotene, carrots come in multiple colors, including red, white, yellow and purple. In the 16th century, the Dutch developed the first orange carrot (in honor of their royal House of Orange). First cultivated in Afghanistan, carrots became a favorite for romance in ancient Greece, where the name meant “love charm.” Settlers in Jamestown brought carrots to America in 1607. China now ranks as the world’s top carrot producer, followed by Russia and the United States.
Celeriac: The root of the celery plant with a parsley-like flavor, this creamy, white-fleshed vegetable – favored by French cooks – mixes well with mashed potatoes or as an addition to soups and stews. Don’t overcook; it quickly turns mushy. Look for roots with the fewest knobs (they’re easier to peel).
Jicama: A member of the bean family, jicama is also called the Mexican yam bean or Chinese turnip, reflecting its broad range. The crunchy raw white flesh doesn’t discolor, making it a favorite for vegetable platters and salad bars, but it also is good when stir-fried as a substitute for water chestnuts. Look for tubers with smooth, unblemished skin.
Parsnip: A versatile cousin of carrots and celery with a peppery flavor, the parsnip came to the United States with German colonists. Parsnips, which must be cooked, are often boiled, then mashed like potatoes, but can also be steamed, roasted, sauteed, pureed or deep-fried as chips. Frost in the field improves their flavor. Choose shorter, firm parsnips for the best taste.
Radish: Members of the mustard family, these roots range from the familiar little round garnish varieties to foot-long hot daikons. Crunchy when fresh, they also taste great roasted. Horseradish ranks among America’s favorite roots; we consume 24 million pounds annually.
Rutabaga: Actually a cross between the cabbage and the turnip, this vegetable gets its name from the Swedish word “rotabagge,” meaning “round root.” Also called “Swedish turnip,” it usually has light yellow, fine-grained flesh and more sugar than its turnip relatives. The farther north it’s grown, the sweeter the rutabaga. Use like turnips.
Salsify: Nicknamed oyster plant, this root vegetable has a taste and texture faintly similar to shellfish. Black salsify (a native of Spain) looks like a big, brown carrot while white varieties have pale, thin, forked roots. Popular in Europe since the 16th century, they’re treated like parsnips. Don’t overcook; salsify gets mushy quickly.
Sunchoke: Also called Jerusalem artichoke and very high in iron, this is the tuberous root of a sunflower variety with a nutty taste like artichoke heart. Native to both North America and North Africa, sunchokes became popular in France 400 years ago. Bland and crunchy when raw, sunchokes benefit from roasting to bring out their flavor. They can be eaten with or without the peel.
Turnip: Before potatoes immigrated to Europe from the Americas, turnips were the staple of many diets, particularly in the Middle Ages. Persians considered turnips a cure for the common cold. A member of the cabbage family, turnips taste sweetest when fresh; choose small to medium, firm turnips for best flavor. They’re also rich in vitamin C.
ROOTING AROUND: THE GROCERY, THE KITCHEN
Shopping: Look for root vegetables with firm flesh and smooth skin. Avoid any that have mushy spots. Smaller veggies usually taste sweeter.
Storage: Kept at 32 to 40 degrees, root cellars allow long-term storage (up to four months) of most root vegetables. But in Sacramento, with daytime temperatures above 40 degrees, root vegetables keep best in the refrigerator. Wrap in paper towels, then place inside a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator’s crisper. Most will keep crisp two to four weeks; age turns turnips and rutabagas bitter.
Store turnips and beets with their leaves, which can be used as greens. Trim carrot tops back to 1 inch before storing. Remove radish, parsnip and salsify leaves before storing.
Peeling: Peel to remove any dirt, feeder roots or wax (used to inhibit mold if commercially shipped).
To peel celeriac or jicama, slice off the top and bottom. Stand upright on one end. Using a sharp knife, slice off the peel vertically from the sides. Put peeled celeriac in water with lemon juice to keep it white.
Baby beets and carrots can be cooked unpeeled, but scrub first to remove dirt. Well-scrubbed sunchokes can be left unpeeled, too. To scrub, use a soft-bristle brush.
BEETS IN SOUR CREAM
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves 4
From “Recipes from the Root Cellar” by Andrea Chesman.
Note: The prep time does not include the cool time for the beets.
Three tablespoons minced red onion may be substituted for the shallot. Also, the beets may be boiled instead of roasted. Boil gently for 40 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain, let cool and peel.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds beets
1shallot, minced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or more to taste
1 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap beets individually in aluminum foil. Roast for 50 to 60 minutes until fork-tender. Unwrap and let cool.
Peel beets and cut into 1/2– inch cubes. Transfer to a bowl with minced shallot. Mix in vinegar and sour cream. Add salt, pepper to taste. Serve or refrigerate up to 8 hours.
Per serving: 206 cal.; 5 g pro.; 21 g carb.; 12 g fat (8 sat., 4 monounsat., 0 olyunsat.); 26 mg chol.; 154 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 52 percent calories from fat.
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TURNIP SALAD
Prep time: 35 minutes
Standing time: 1 hour total
Serves 6
From “Recipes From the Root Cellar.”
Note: Harissa is a North African chile paste. Hot sauce or other chile paste may be substituted.
INGREDIENTS
6 turnips, peeled and shredded
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 mandarins or tangerines, peeled, seeded, chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 to 2 teaspoons harissa, divided use
Freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine turnips, carrots, onion and mandarins in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and mix well. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Combine oil, lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon harissa. Mix well. Season with salt, pepper and more harissa to taste. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Let sit another 30 minutes for flavors to meld.
Per serving: 140 cal.; 2 g pro.; 14 g carb.; 9 g fat (1 sat., 7 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 0 mg chol.; 290 mg sod.; 4 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 56 percent calories from fat.
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PARSNIP LATKES
Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 15 to 18 three-inch latkes
Note: Prep time does not include 30-minute standing time for the parsnips. Cook time is for the latkes cooked in 4 batches.
From Roots Restaurant and Cellar, Milwaukee.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound parsnips, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup minced leek (just white part)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
Freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Creme fra