Cooking with 'Hope'

We all make so many wonderful resolutions for the New Year and after a week or two we find that we have succumbed to the same venue, “I’m back to my usual routine.” Well, here are some thoughts and recipes on how to make a healthy resolution for yourself and at the same time have a nutritious and healthy change that you’ll love and so will all your dining guests.  These are root vegetables and they tend to be easy to prepare, are healthy and are less expensive than some other vegetables during the winter months.

There are many common root vegetables and some uncommon ones that are nutritious and healthy.  The most popular ones are onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, potatoes and radishes, and the lesser frequently used are the turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, beets, and celeriac.

While visiting relatives in England, at their homes, we were served wonderful meals, believe it or not for English cooking, but their specialty was plenty of dishes of root vegetables.  They were tasty and so complementary with the entrée dishes. They were roasted, baked, sautéed, mixed into other vegetables, or were in their own delicious casseroles. Whatever they were in was absolutely delightful and so very satisfying to the palette let alone to the health and nutrition for the body.

Try some of these recipes and any others that you may come across; you will not only be delighted with their tastefulness but that root vegetables, cruciferous family, are easy to make and are so nutritional for our health.

Remember that the skin of the carrots hold all the vitamins and minerals so try not to peel off too much skin when peeling them, boiling them with scrubbed skins is acceptable and edible. Make sure to cut off the greens as soon as possible to retain the carrots’ and other root vegetables’ moisture. Par-cooking carrots brings out their vitamins and are healthier and are easier to slice. Don’t overcook root vegetables because the nutrients get lost if they are overcooked. 

Root vegetables have dietary fiber, potassium and beta-carotene in them and are plentiful in the fall and winter months. Purchase root vegetables that are firm and unblemished and have a good color to them. Mix them in salads and casseroles and with other root vegetables, especially mashed potatoes.

Beets:  The baby leaves of beets can be served in salads. The more mature leaves need to be cooked. Beets are good grated raw onto salads, roasted, baked, boiled, or marinated.  Cook beets whole with the skins on and let sit for a little bit after cooking then push the skins gently off the beets. Slice and toss with butter and serve hot.

Pickled Beets

1            tablespoon granulated sugar

½            teaspoon salt

½            teaspoon ground cloves

½            teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

1          clove garlic, cut into 4 pieces

6            tablespoons vinegar

¼         cup water

2          cups drained cooked or canned beets, sliced

Combine sugar, salt, cloves, ginger and garlic in a small bowl. Slowly stir in water and vinegar. When the mixture is smooth and well-blended pour over sliced, cooked beets in a bowl. Refrigerate over night or for a few hours. Remove garlic and serve as a side dish.

Parsnips: This root vegetable is great in stews, soups, casseroles, mashed, roasted, or boiled. They have a taste of their own with a sweet nutty flavor and are a delightful complement to most meals.

Whipped Parsnips

1          pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1          clove of garlic cut in half

1            tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)

2          cups chicken broth

½         cup half and half

3            tablespoons butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh chopped parsley (optional)

In a covered saucepan, bring the parsnips, garlic, chicken broth, sugar, and one tablespoon butter to simmer over medium heat. Cook until parsnips are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid for beverage or to use in soups, stews or gravies. Remove garlic. Mash parsnips adding half-and-half and 2 to 3 tablespoons butter to make creamy and beat until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Serve hot.

Turnips: Remove the green tops from turnips right away as they drain the moisture out of the vegetable. Turnip leaves (cooked) can be eaten also. Cutting or slicing turnips before cooking makes them cook faster and are easier to handle when making dishes.   They add a nice flavor when cooked and mashed and are mixed with mashed potatoes.

Cook turnips in water for 20 to 30 minutes until tender, drain, mash, and season with salt, pepper and butter and even some cinnamon or grated ginger. Add some half and half and a little lemon juice if desired. Use other herbs and spices to add a variety of tastes.  Turnips are also tasty when mixed with cooked frozen peas.

Rutabagas:  The wax coating on rutabagas must be peeled or removed prior to use or cooking, this is put on the vegetable to retain its moisture. A rutabaga is similar to turnips but is sweeter and tastier than turnips. It works well raw when cut into thin slices and used with a vegetable dip or grated onto salads and soups. It can be roasted, boiled, baked, mashed or used in casseroles.

Hope’s Roasted Root Vegetable Medley

2            parsnips, peeled

1            rutabaga, peeled

4          large carrots, peeled

1          large onion, cut into thin slices

2          cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2          beets, skins removed after cooking

3-4            tablespoons olive oil

2-3            tablespoons brown sugar

1            teaspoon ground rosemary (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Parboil for 15 minutes parsnips, rutabaga, and carrots in enough water to cover vegetables, cover saucepan, simmer until almost tender. Drain and reserve liquid for beverage, soups, stews or gravies. Cook beets in a separate covered pot for 30 minutes until almost tender. Drain and pull skins off beets. Sauté onion and garlic for a few minutes until just caramelized.

Cut beets up into 1-inch chunks separately, set aside, and add to other vegetables at the very end so as not to mix the red color to the others. Cut all cooked vegetables into 1-inch chunks, add sautéed onion and garlic and gently mix together. In a bowl toss cut up vegetables with brown sugar, salt and pepper, rosemary (optional) and olive oil. Pour into a rectangular casserole dish and bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 25 minutes until tender and lightly golden or toasted. Serve hot.

Hope is a retired professor from North Carolina. She resides in Hampstead for the past 13 years, with her husband Vincent, a retired New York City Police Detective. She enjoys cooking and has been awarded numerous ribbons for her breads and has a Blueberry Festival prize for her blueberry cheesecake, which is presently being enjoyed by cruise ship tourists in New Zealand.