Even though it is winter, this dish is so tasty. You just have to use your imagination!
Winter is so, BLAH. You don’t have any green stuff to munch on, the garden is covered in snow. It really seems like the night never ends. You are always eating the same crap – stews and the like.
Okay, now that you have that in your head, SHAKE IT OUT!
Winter is an exciting time for a cook with imagination. I maintain that any asshole can cook with tenderloin, asparagus and foie gras. What really makes a chef is someone who can be inspired by the seasons.
Sure, I could have put zucchini and asparagus for seasonal vegetables on the function lists. They are stupidly easy to prepare, and I could rest knowing that the food will look good.
The previous vegetables are also lazy. With the wealth of options out there, why would one want to be limited to tasteless asparagus? How about forced zucchini? Sure, we could even get some patty pans out here. Fly them in from Timbuk-Tu.
We could also use our imagination. The photo you see here represents that.
Beets? They can suck. Sure, if you just peel them up and boil the crap out of them, they are going to suck.
Parsnips? Alone, peeled, boiled and served? Suck.
The key is to get into the experience. Peel up the parsnip, roast them in beef fat until they are buttery, sweet, and the smell will drive people nuts as they cross paths with the oven.
The beets could be sectioned out, then given a bath in a little red wine vinegar. A touch of maple sugar, and they are good to go.
The baby carrots look so smart, no? Blanched, then roasted in clarified butter?
How about the mini turnips? They could be roasted as well!
How do you like the yellow beets at the bottom? They were roasted whole, then segmented out and sauteed with a little butter.
All components of this dish were put together, and the result is something sublime. Want to know a secret? This item came back, with nothing left over. The client ate it up!
How is that for BORING Winter vegetables?
I say that it is only as boring as the lack of imagination. What do you say? Do you have a favorite Winter vegetable?
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Hey,
Well hats off to you for bring the topic of eating roots for winter. I write blogs on health especially on the science of Ayurveda . This age old science speaks of eating roots during winter as they also are warming in nature.
Lastly advancement of 21 century have seen all vegetable available all the time and thus humans tend to forget eating such roots. Can you post some recipes of using roots in winter.. it would be really nice for your view.
@Sudeep – Thank you for the comment. I have never previously heard of Ayurveda before. It does sound interesting. I wonder if there are any links to literature you know of to read up on it? I mean, the collective wisdom of 2 billion or so people cannot be wrong.
I recently roasted radishes with olive oil, capers and anchovies. Then tossed them in garlicky bread crumbs, and a big spritz of lemon. WOW they were good. I live in Los Angeles and we get fresh local produce year round so I felt it was ok to experiment with the radishes. If it bombed I could always get more or even something else entirely. http://www.sippitysup.com/roastedradishes GREG
That is a nice post about radishes. Beautiful colors, beautiful dish! Again, I would probably leave your house a fat man. !
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