Dan's Papers - January 11, 2008 - Silvia Lehrer's Cooking Column

Well you've learned all there is to know about the right way to eat. You're resolved at this time to make resolutions - to cut back on red meat and to put vegetables and grains at the center of your meal planning. We all know how difficult it is to stick to the dietary straight and narrow. The truth is the occasional 'sinfully rich dessert' is the least of your problems.

Root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, leek and turnips, which reach their peak at this time of the year make perfect candidates for winter dishes, releasing rich sweet flavors as they simmer for a pureed soup, a vegetable side dish or an oven roast. A root vegetable soup cooked and pureed with butternut squash is brought up to the moment with the broth and garnish of reconstituted porcini mushrooms. Turnips may not be the most popular vegetable around but you may think differently when imaginatively prepared, making it a delicious change from mashed potatoes. And a winter slow roast of vegetables is a colorful supporting player to a hearty dish. According to food and cooking authority Harold McGee, "When certain foods are browned, roasted or broiled, several chemical processes occur, producing a sweeter, richer flavor than other cooking methods." This is especially true with foods that contain natural sugars like carrots and other root vegetables.

In addition to their natural sweetness, root vegetables are high in nutrients, daily fiber and a range of cancer fighting substances called phytochemicals. No guilt trip here when preparing any of the below.

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES
Turnips, celery knob, parsnip and carrots make a deliciously colorful arrangement. When the garlic is cooked, the clove, squeezed from its skin, is pleasantly sweet.
Serves 8-10

2 white turnips
3 parsnips
1 bunch carrots
1 celery knob
Several whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 teaspoons coarse (kosher) salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1. Peel and trim the vegetables and cut them into chunky pieces of equal size. All the vegetables except the celery knob can be peeled with a vegetable peeler. To remove the gnarled skin of the celery knob, cut with a sharp knife.
2. Spread the vegetables in a heavy roasting pan. Toss in the garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme and toss again to coat the vegetables. The vegetables can be prepped up to several hours ahead.
3. Cover vegetables with foil, shiny side down and place in preheated oven. Roast covered for 25 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle the balsamic vinegar and give the vegetables a toss. Continue to roast, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender and crusty. Serve warm or at room temperature.

TURNIP OR RUTABAGA PUREE
Both vegetables are from the cabbage family and are often confused. Rutabagas are larger than turnips and are distinguished by an 'ochre-colored swollen neck. The turnip has little or no neck. When fresh and cooked with care rutabagas can be surprisingly palatable.
Serves 6

1 1/2 - 2 pounds turnips or rutabaga, peeled
Coarse (kosher) salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground pepper

1. Cut turnips or rutabaga in half then cut into chunky dice. If using rutabaga, cut to half the size of the turnips. Place vegetable in a pot of cold water to cover and bring to the boil over high heat. Add salt to taste, and simmer with cover ajar, until tender, about 15 to 18 minutes. Test for doneness with the tip of a paring knife. Drain.
2. Return vegetable to the pot it cooked in. With a potato masher, start to mash the vegetable until coarse then add the butter slices and mash to a puree. Add sugar, thyme leaves, salt to taste and freshly ground pepper. Taste to adjust seasonings. Keep warm in a bain marie - another vessel containing simmering water. Stir occasionally, until ready to serve.

ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP WITH DRIED MUSHROOM GARNISH
Dried porcini mushrooms can be very sandy. It is necessary to let them soak in water to release the sand, two or three times. Then add the flavorful mushroom liquid to the soup.
Serves 6 - 8

1 butternut squash, about 2-3 pounds
2 large parsnips
2 leeks
2 ribs celery
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Coarse (kosher) salt and freshly ground pepper
6 1/2- 7 cups chicken stock or low sodium canned broth
Reserved mushroom liquid
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the mushroom garnish
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1. Place squash in microwave oven for 2 minutes on high for easier cutting. Lay the squash on its side and cut thick slices. Cut away and discard the shell then cut into cubes. Peel turnips and cut into cubes. Trim leeks, discard any bruised outer layers the wash very well between the layers. If leeks are very sandy let them soak in a bowl of cold water. Cut through the layers away from the root end then slice thin. Trim celery and wash well. Cut into thin slices. Chop the garlic.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large, 5 quart saucepan. When butter melts and foam subsides add all the vegetables to the pan. Toss to coat in butter and oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover vegetables with a square of wax paper to sweat them, then cover pan and simmer on the lowest possible heat for 6-7 minutes. Discard wax paper and pour the broth over the vegetables. Simmer the soup over medium heat for 30-35 minutes, with cover ajar.
3. Meanwhile, soak the dried mushrooms in a small bowl to reconstitute with warm water to cover. Let stand about 5 minutes and lift the mushrooms into a second small bowl. Drain the liquid through a fine sieve into a third bowl. Return mushrooms to the liquid to soak again, and then drain again to be sure the liquid no longer contains any sand.
4. When the vegetables are very tender, puree the soup in a blender or with a hand-immersion blender. Add the drained porcini liquid and the cream to the soup and stir to mix. Taste to adjust seasoning if necessary. Reheat before serving garnished with thin slices of the reconstituted porcini mushrooms.