Unlike other vegetables, the root kind grow just about anywhere and many of them are in season now. But how do you turn them into amazing food?
They will "go back to sleep" if you bury them in sandy soil, or in a cool, dark and slightly humid cellar. That's why root vegetables are almost always in season, like now for example.
You can di just about anything with them and to them: Grate and eat raw, pickle, sour, steam, deep fry, braise, sear, grill, bake, or boil and mix into a soup or a puré.
Soured rutabaga
Add salt and spices. Stomp the rutabaga, packing the salt in. Keep in a clean, glass jar in room temperature for about two weeks until the preserving lactic acid is fully developed– and then store in the fridge. It tastes best after about a month, but can keep for up to a year.
Enjoy asparagus without asparagus
Salsify is sometimes referred to as "poor man's asparagus". You will get sticky hands from peeling it, but the flavor – reminiscent of asparagus – is mouth-watering. In a gratin, for example.
Pimp carrots with orange
There is no shortage of oranges this time of year. The sweetness of orange lifts the sweetness of the carrots, and the citrus adds a little excitement to the earthy flavor. Try boiling the carrots briefly, then adding squeezed orange. Let it soak for a while before adding olive oil and salt crystals.
don't throw away the water
When you have boiled root vegetables, keep the water and use it for stock in a stew, sauce or soup.
Sear the skin
Sear the skin of root vegetables with a burner before baking them whole in the oven. It looks good and adds sweet notes of caramelisation.
