The sweetest of all the Roots

I am trying to practice what I preach and eat in season.  It can be a challenge sometimes.  I love salads- you know the kind- leafy greens.  I know that unless it came from a hot house it just isn't grown in Central PA in the dead of winter.  So I am trying to make nontraditional salads.  Saturday I roasted a head of cauliflower and handful or two of Brussels sprouts. With just a little olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, it was the best cauliflower I have ever eaten.  I am not sure if the roasting brought out the sweetness in the cauliflower, but I am certain that this will be my cooking method of choice from now on.

I went to the farmers market today and purchased some vegetables that are new to me.  I bought some purple potatoes and parsnips. I can't wait to try them! 

Parsnips are cousins with carrots,sweeter in taste than carrots and have the fragrance of celery. Similar in appearance to the carrot, parsnips are white in color.  Parsnips yield a higher amount of vitamin C and vegetable protein then carrots or potatoes.  They are also rich in fiber, potassium and folic acid.

Keep the following in mind when purchasing parsnips:
1. They come in a variety of colors from pale yellow to white
2. Like carrots, they should be firm, not limp
3. They can grow up to 20 inches in length, but are at their flavor peak when picked at 8 inches or so
4. If they are too large in diameter they are over mature and will be woody in taste, so select skinnier parsnips.
5. Avoid any parsnip with moist spots.

Some important things to remember when cooking parsnips:

1. To bring out the sweetness of the parsnips garnish with cinnamon, mace, ginger or nutmeg.
2. Because of their fibrous nature, parsnips cannot be eaten raw, as carrots are. 
3. To keep them tender do not overcook. Their flavor and nutrients are their height when cooked to tender.

Ready to give them a try?  Here is recipe you can try.

Maple Glazed Parsnips

Ingredients-

2 cups of parsnips, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 T maple syrup
1/2 t butter, melted
2 T chopped walnuts

Directions-

1. Spray a baking dish with pan with oil.
2. Place parsnips rounds in a single layer into pan and spray lightly with oil.
3. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender
5. While the parsnips are roasting, combine the butter and syrup.
6. After you have removed the parsnips from the oven, pour butter syrup mixture over parsnips and top with chopped walnuts. Serve.

Recipe courtesy of Simply in Season

Surviving Winter

Winter has made it's presence, as I sit looking out my kitchen window.  My back yard looks like a  glazed donut, after a icy snow storm has hit central Pennsylvania. Days like today beckon me to stay indoors and cook up a big pot of soup to warm my chilly bones.

Historically soup was a meal of bread soaked in liquid, known as "sop." As it evolved it became known as liquid and a variety of ingredients, with the bread or crackers served on the side. Because soups were usually made with inexpensive, lower quality ingredients, or leftover vegetables, soups had the reputation of being a poor man's food.  Thin soups served with day old bread could feed an entire family more inexpensively than other meals. Soup has always had it's roots in the poverty of lower economical families Thus the name for "Soup Kitchen" was given to charitable organizations who feed the homeless.

Soup is also believed to have healing powers.  Chicken noodle soup, for example, is believed to have healing properties because of it's rich nutrients.

Soup has come a long way over the years and is no longer touted as a poor man's food.  Rich in variety, soup comes in a variety of forms and names. Let's look at a few-

Bisque: a rich soup with a creamy consistency.  Usually contains lobster, shrimp or crab.

Bouillabaisse: a Mediterranean fish soup/stew, made with seveal types of seafood, olive oil, water and seasonings including garlic and parsley, onions, and tomato.

 Ceviche: a Latin American pseudo soup, made from raw fish that has been marinated in lime or lemon juice with olive oil and spices.

Chowder: a hearty North American soup, usually with a seafood and milk base

Connsomme:  a clear broth of multiple layers ( one flavored broth added to another flavored broth), with a meat base, rather than a bone base broth.  It is strained several times to make it clear.

Dashi: the Japanese version of connsomme, made of seaweed and water

Gazpacho: a tomato-vegetable soup served ice cold

Minestrone: an Italian vegetable soup

Potage:a French term referring to a thick soup

Veloute: a velvty French sauce made with stock

Vichyssoise: a simple flavorful pureed potato and leek soup, thickened with heavy cream and served cold

Here is a crockpot soup you may want to try.

Crockpot Taco Soup

1 pound lean ground beef -- browned and drained
2 packages taco seasoning mix
1 16oz can tomatoes with green chilis -- undrained
1 16oz can black beans -- undrained
1 16oz can corn -- undrained
1 can black olives -- chopped or sliced
1 medium onion -- chopped
1/2 bell pepper -- chopped
4 tomatillos (optional) -- chopped

Place everything in a large crockpot, add water, if necessary, to fill. Cook on Low for 5 or more hours until flavors are blended. Top each bowl with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with sour cream, taco chips and salsa on the side. Serves 6.

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NOTES : Taco seasoning can be cut in half for those who like it less spicy.

Recipe courtesty of Cooking Cache