In many circles, the root vegetable is under appreciated, accused of being boring and unappetizing, its only advantage seen in its ability to store well. Readers, I must admit that for most of my years, I too held this less-than-redeeming view of most root vegetables.
I know where my impression came from. Throughout my entire childhood, my family would eat “Sunday Dinner’ every week. It was the only meal of the week that we called dinner, and we ate it at midday. (It still confuses me a little when people say dinner, when they are referring to the evening meal).
This Sunday dinner consisted of some type of meat, nicely roasted (whole chicken, moose roast, rabbit, or turr). This I could appreciate. However, the rest of the meal was mainly made of up boiled root vegetables – turnip, potatoes, carrots (and cabbage which isn’t technically a root). Of course, the vegetables were boiled with salt beef.
For me, at this point in time, the entire world of root vegetables meant salty mush, with no bright colours or distinctive tastes.
Before I go further, I’d like to say that my Mom is actually a great cook. I blame the tasteless vegetables on tradition alone. Every rural Newfoundlander seemed to cook vegetables the same way – I would love to hear if other people grew up with a different experience!
Thankfully, through my own food and cooking evolution since I left home, I was able to rediscover the humble root vegetable, and my opinion of them has undergone a grand transformation. I now cook root vegetables in a great number of different ways, and have even adopted new ones into my cooking – primarily sweet potato, but also parsnips and beets.
Root vegetables are a wonderful staple at this time of year. You can still find them locally produced in a few places around Corner Brook and if you’re a little creative, you can easily incorporate them into a fine feast.
One of the easiest and most delicious ways to enjoy them, is to simply bake a mix of different veggies to get lots of colour and taste. Just chop vegetables into bite sized or fry-shaped pieces, toss them in some oil, add a bit of salt and toss them in the oven. I usually throw the potatoes and carrots in first so they can bake about 10 minutes longer than sweet potatoes, parsnip and rutabaga/turnip.
Beets and carrots are also fabulous grated raw onto salads. I have also recently started grating beets into my tomato sauces – it turns everything a dark pink-ish hue, but it adds surprisingly excellent texture and taste. Potatoes are good in a million different ways: mashed with garlic and butter, diced in curries and soups, baked with sour cream and chives, or chunked in a pot pie.
I have a few favourite recipes which really bring out the pizzazz of the root. I’ll leave you with a couple of them, which I won’t take credit for! Just follow the links and you’ll find these two recipes plus lots more to experiment with.
The first is a curried carrot soup, courtesy of Great Meals for a Change, a project based out of Nova Scotia that raises awareness and promotes action for more local, sustainable eating.
The second recipe is for homespun pot pie and is from a Moosewood cookbook, one of the most well-known cookbook makers. They have many, many tried and true recipes and never disappoint.
Go ahead and enjoy a root-full winter – I’ll guarantee a full warm belly, lots of taste, and not even a hint of boring!
