Recipes From the Root Cellar_ 270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables - Andrea Chesman [16]
Many classic French recipes begin with a mirepoix, a flavoring combination of diced carrots, onions, and celery. Celery root can replace celery stalks. For a white mirepoix, parsnips replace the carrots. The Italian soffrito is similar, usually including garlic. So root vegetables plus onions and garlic can flavor soups, sauces, and stews throughout the winter—with no limit to the types of different dishes you can make.
Purées or mashes of individual root vegetables are less popular than they used to be, perhaps because we have developed a fear of butter. But as the occasional treat, a butter-laced mash of turnips or rutabagas, well seasoned with salt and pepper, is a delicious dish.
Peeling and then shredding root vegetables on the coarse side of a box grater or in a food processor prepares root vegetables for quick cooking. They can then be quickly sautéed in a skillet with butter or olive oil, thus eliminating the complaint that root vegetables take a long time to cook.
There are just a few things to be careful about when it comes to root vegetables. Some root vegetables, especially carrots, beets, and parsnips, are quite sweet. So add them sparingly when sweetness is inappropriate—in soup stock, for example. As root vegetables age, they use up their sugars. In the case of turnips and rutabagas, sulfurous flavors can become stronger.
Root vegetables store well in a root cellar, given cold temperatures (32° to 40°F) and sufficient humidity (90 to 95 percent). Layering the vegetables in damp sawdust, moss, or sand in bins or boxes helps maintain the proper humidity. If you don’t have a root cellar, you may have another spot in your home that provides the right conditions, such as a staircase leading from an outdoor entrance to the basement. The steps can be used as shelves, with the top shelves holding vegetables that should be kept coolest (potatoes) and the bottom steps holding vegetables more tolerant of heat (winter squashes). You may also be able to leave the root vegetables in the ground under a heavy layer of mulch and harvest as needed, provided the soil drains well.
Finally, like most other vegetables, root vegetables are low in calories, with about 10 to 60 calories per half-cup serving. They are good sources of fiber, providing 1 to 4 grams per half cup. Several root vegetables are good sources of potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A, and folic acid. In addition, root vegetables, especially those deeper in color, contain health-promoting antioxidants known as phytochemicals.
Beets
The beet is an embarrassing vegetable. Add it to any dish and it will stain all the ingredients (and the hands that peeled them) an outlandish pink color. Who can work with such an outrageous vegetable?
Beets don’t have to be red! Golden beets have won my heart. Their mild flavor and golden color make them easy to include in recipes where the dye of the red beet is unwelcome but the flavor is an asset. In addition to the golden beet, there is the Chioggia beet, which is striped red and white, and there are pure white versions as well. So if there are those you know who don’t think they like beets, you might try slipping them some golden or white beets and see if you don’t win converts.
Beets originated from the same wild species in the Mediterranean that gave rise to Swiss chard, and the two plants share the Latin name of Beta vulgaris. Both the Greeks and early Romans ate chard, but the root, which was hard and fibrous, was used medicinally only. Sometime during the third and fourth centuries AD, beets began to be cultivated for their roots.
Beets can taste strongly of the earth in which they were grown, a reason many people shun them. A good way to