Winter is time for root vegetables, and when you know easy ways to cook them they are really a treat. Late November and December, our farm box is full of winter squash, beets, fennel, rutabaga, and parsnips. Here are some suggestions to enjoy these delicious foods.
Beets: If you have not tried cooking beets, you are in for a treat! They taste much better than the canned versions. I like to roast beets, but I find it is most successful in a closed dish – so it is really part roasted and part steamed. You can either clean and trim the beet and cook it in its skin (best for small or medium sized beets) or peel and slice. Toss or brush with olive oil. Either cook them in a covered glass or ceramic baking dish or wrap them up in foil (making a bowl so that the juices don’t drip out). Bake at 375 for about an hour (or a lower temperature for a little longer). The sliced beets will cook more quickly. Onion and garlic are good additions to the sliced beets – either before or after cooking!) If you cook the beets whole with skins, the skins will peel easily as they begin to cool but are still warm.
Parsnips: These vegetables look a little like white carrots. When you buy them, choose smaller parsnips – the large ones have a woody core. They are excellent roasted. Wash and chop into equal size pieces. Toss with olive oil and bake at 350. Start testing for doneness at around 30 minutes. These typically cook faster than the other root vegetables, depending on the size. When I add them to mixed roast veggies, I add them as a second batch later in the cooking process. You can add flavor with vinegars, curry and/or sesame oil. Sometimes I will bake chicken on a bed of parsnips. When I do this, I brush the chicken with orange marmalade and soy sauce. It does add a little sugar and salt, but can be moderate and is easy and delicious.
Rutabaga: You can peel, chop and roast these (tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and curry). These take longer to cook than some of the other root vegetables (ie – try cooking at 375 and begin testing after an hour, but allow a little longer cooking time as needed). Another good technique with rutabagas is to mash them. I’ve done rutabagas plain or mixed half-and-half with potatoes. Thin with a little broth. If you slice it thin, you can also use it raw in a salad.
Turnips: These can be handled like rutabagas.
Fennel: This vegetable has a mild licorice-like flavor. It is good hot or cold. If you use it cold, it works well blended with cabbage for various vegetable slaws (there are some great recipes online) or added in thin strips to a regular salad. You can braise it (sauté in a liquid such as broth or vinegar) with onion and garlic until soft. Last night I sliced it and tossed it with olive oil, then baked it at 350 for about 25 minutes. I added grated parmesan cheese for the last 10 minutes, and it was a hit.
Winter Squash: There are a variety of squashes and it is fun to experiment.
Delicata: This is my favorite. It has a thin, edible skin so you don’t have to worry about peeling it or eating around the skin! These are long with pretty little lengthwise scallops. I cut them in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and then slice them. Toss them with olive oil (and if you wish balsamic vinegar) and bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes.
Acorn: Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, brush with olive oil and cook cut side down on a baking dish or baking sheet at 350 for 45 minutes. Eat with a spoon, scooping out the soft flesh from the ruffled shell.
Butternut: This is a popular cooking squash because it is easy to peel. You can use a potato peeler to trim off the thin but tough skin. Then you can seed it and chop it up any way you’d like. This can be roasted on its own, with other root vegetables, or added to soup or stews. It is very good added to Minestrone soup and gives it a seasonal twist.
Spaghetti Squash: This can be steamed or baked or even microwaved. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds and cook cut side down in a little water (to keep it moist). It cooks pretty quickly. Scrape out the flesh with a fork, to get strands that resemble spaghetti. It can be used with sauces as a spaghetti replacement, or used as a side dish, or make it into a salad.
Banana and Kabocha: These are big and thick skinned. They are delicious but can be tricky to cut. Banana squash can frequently be found in grocery stores as an already-cut section. Kabocha squashes look like green pumpkins. If you have a good knife and are adventurous they are well worth a try. Once they are cut in sections small enough to bake, they can be brushed with olive oil and baked. The traditional approach is butter and sugar or honey, but try olive oil or sesame seed oil and a little of your favorite vinegar. Bake at 350 or 375 and begin testing them at around 45 minutes. You can also use a hotter oven to shorten the cooking time.
I’ve just given you some easy ways to cook root vegetables. There are many recipes available for more variety that are worth trying out.
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