Spring Root Recipes

Parsnips
Parsnips look like a big white carrot. Parsnips are sweetest when over wintered in the ground and dug in the spring. They can be eaten raw, but the most common tradition is to scrub, slice, and fry in butter. I tend to parboil a few minutes, drain and then saute in butter until they just start to turn tan and caramelize.

Parsnips are tasty in a cream soup with onions or leeks, potatoes, a bit of celery root, chicken stock, a bit of cream or milk and some curry and hot pepper. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Ken makes a parsnip pie like pumpkin or squash - but you need very little sweetener! Scrub, boil and mash or puree with eggs and milk and a pinch of nutmeg.

Sunchokes
Sunchokes are small tubers that look like iris bulbs - with beige or red skins. I just scrub where the skin overlaps to remove dirt. Sunchokes are related to sunflowers and were introduced as Jerusalem artichokes - odd as not from Jerusalem or related to artichokes. Sunchokes contain inulin, a cousin to insulin and are great for leveling blood sugar. They have the texture of a water chestnut and are good quick cooked in stir fry.

Many people add then raw to salads.

I tend to saute with garlic and a dash of tamari with a green garnish of parsley.

They are wonderful pickled with garlic, hot pepper and a bit of turmeric.

DON"T boil sunchokes so long they turn to grey, unappetizing mush!(but isn't that true of all roots)

Gobo
Gobo or burdock is a common vegetable in Asia. People there use it as a medicinal food for cleansing and tonifying blood and liver.

It is a long thin cylindrical tan root. We just scrub it. Small amounts are good added to soups.

In spring it is cut into matchsticks with carrots and cooked kinpira. Here is how to cook kinpira. Toast sesame seeds in a heavy skillet. Remove and set aside. Heat up high heat oil or fat. Add hot pepper if desired. Add burdock. When partially cooked add carrot. Once both are "al dente" add a teaspoon of sugar. Stir to caramelize, but not burn -add a splash of sweet wine -rice wine in Asia, I use homemade parsnip, or a sweet cooking sherry will work. Just a splash to create steam. Check for done-ness and add another splash if desired to soften or add sweetness. Add tamari to coat. Stir and top with the toasted sesame seeds.

We also cut lengthwise and toast in the oven on the lowest heat possible until the pieces snap. Then we combine with chicory and dandelion roots for a herbal tonic.

Salsify
Salsify is also called oyster plant. It adds a mild seafood ocean flavor to stir fry or soup.