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Cooking Ideas

Like all root vegetables, rutabagas are terrific roasted. They are also delicious steamed or boiled, and then mashed with butter or olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. In Scotland, a classic dish is neeps and tatties (see page 163), a mash of potatoes and rutabagas, while in Sweden the mix would also include carrots. Another classic Scottish dish is clapshot, which is mashed potatoes and rutabaga with chives, butter, onions, and salt and pepper. I throw rutabagas into chicken pot pie, beef stew, and lamb stew. I also throw cubes of rutabagas, and other root vegetables, into the roasting pan whenever I roast chicken.

Rutabaga greens are delicious, though not as commonly served as turnip greens.

Rutabaga Math

1 pound rutabaga = 3 cups sliced or diced = 4 cups shredded = 2 cups steamed and puréed

Salsify

Salsify is a difficult and fussy vegetable to grow. The reward for growing it, however, is a great-tasting vegetable that is very easy to store in a root cellar. It was popular in colonial America and is commonly found in Europe. Unfortunately for Europeans, salsify is most often cooked out of a can and served in a school cafeteria stew; this is no way to treat a delicious vegetable!

There is some confusion about the name. It used to be called oyster plant or vegetable oyster, because of a slight resemblance to oysters in flavor (very slight). There are two types of salsify: white and black. The black type, commonly known as scorzonera, grows thicker than white salsify and is less likely to fork, so I think it is far preferable to white salsify. Both have white flesh when peeled.

No Place for Cold Storage?

Even if you don’t have a storage area for root vegetables, you can preserve them by blanching and freezing. Or you can sauté slices or cubes in butter or oil until they are softened and then freeze them. Beets, carrots, and Jerusalem artichokes are excellent pickled.

The soft white flesh has a slightly sweet, earthy taste and a wonderful, almost creamy texture. I think the flavor is a cross between globe artichokes and Jerusalem artichokes. It contains the carbohydrate inulin (as does Jerusalem artichoke), which makes it desirable for diabetics.

Availability

This root is theoretically available from fall to early spring, though hard to find in most markets. Its flavor is best after a few frosts.

Storage

If you grow your own salsify, you can overwinter it in the ground as you do parsnips, or store it in a root cellar. For short-term storage, trim off any green tops. Store salsify in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag, where it will keep for several weeks.

How to Buy

Look for medium to large roots, with a minimum of forking. I generally have to special-order it. For many years I have special-ordered a case, which I keep in a box on my basement stairs, and they last through the winter.

White salsify is sometimes sold in bunches with leaves still attached. Black salsify is usually sold without leaves, in plastic bags.

Preparation

Prepare salsify by peeling, removing the skin, rootlets, and all dark spots. Trim the tops and bottoms and slice as you would a carrot or leave whole. Its flesh will darken on exposure to air, so unless you are cooking immediately, drop the salsify into acidulated water (1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar added to 4 cups water). Salsify oozes a sticky substance that blackens on exposure to air, so some people advise wearing gloves when peeling it. (Some people scrub salsify but do not peel; I think the peel is bitter and the vegetable tastes better without it.)

Cooking Ideas

The taste of salsify is delicate, so simple preparations are best to coax out its flavor. It can be sautéed in butter or oil, roasted, or steamed and mashed with butter. I like to sauté it in butter for a few minutes, then cover the pan and let the salsify steam a few minutes until tender. Delicious. In Belgium, salsify fritters (see page 189) are popular bar snacks.

Salsify Math

1 pound salsify