The Roots of Cooking

I've always been fascinated by the fact that one goes to a highly rated restaurant and is immediately impressed and even awed by the seemingly exotic, or at the very least, expensive looking ingredients which compose the restaurants offerings.

What I Know Now........Shortly after becoming a professional cook, and now involved in prepping, cooking, and plating these very same ingredients, it occurred to me that many of the ingredients used were not all that exotic or for that matter, very expensive. As a matter of fact many are very inexpensive. I am referring to root vegetables such as Turnips, Celeriac (Celery Root), Kohlrabi, Jerusalem Artichokes (sunchokes), and Parsnips. We all see them at the market and never think of cooking them. Maybe these vegetables strike us as old fashioned, funny sounding peasant food. I can't remember one time prior to becoming a professional line cook, shopping at the market, and the the thought of buying a Turnip ever crossed my mind. When one sees these very same  ingredients in an expensive restaurant, they quickly become fashionable, exotic, even HauteCuisine.

The truth is these vegetables have a lot in common with Potato's. So think like a Chef, and approach these roots the same way. Like the potato, these humble roots can become sublime.

Start your "exotic" vegetable experience by simply roasting them. Peel the outer flesh from the vegetables, (for the tougher skinned veg like Celery Root you may want to use a chef's knife), cut them into a 1/2" dice.  Next put the diced veg into a large bowl and add a little Olive oil, just start with a tablespoon and pour it down the side of the bowl. If you are preparing a lot of veg, add more oil. Next add a  pinch of salt. Then toss the vegetables so they become lightly coated with oil and salt and put them in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking. If you don't have parchment use foil and then go to the store and by parchment, because after you taste this you will be making it again and again. Parchment paper is the professionals choice for lining pans that are destined for the oven. Place the pan in a hot oven. The hotter your oven is, the faster it will be done.

Roast in the oven checking after about 12 minutes, you may want to stir them around or rotate the pan, if they are roasting unevenly. Check again after about a half hour. Cooking time will vary based on size of dice and oven temp. When you can smell a fabulous aroma in your kitchen, they are probably done.

You can now serve them. However, if want to cook like a pro, simply let them cool down, put in an airtight container, and refrigerate.  Your roasted root vegetable will certainly last a few days. I know now that most vegetables in restaurants have been precooked by either roasting, grilling, or blanching in hot water. These vegetables are precooked to different degrees of doneness, and temp'd (reheated) during service.This usually happens when each individual order is being prepared.  This technique may actually enhance the flavor of  vegetables, and significantly cuts the time necessary to cook the veg during service.

To prepare these "precooked" roots for your meal, simply heat up a saute' pan, add a little oil to coat the bottom, let the oil heat up until it is shimmering in the pan, then add the veg. and a pinch of salt. Give the pan a shake to toss the veg and coat in oil. You can finish the cooking on the stove top or in a hot oven, adding a nice knob of butter at the last moment. Plate and enjoy. This technique will work with any root vegetable and a large variety of other vegetables like: Asparagus, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Beets, and Green Beans. You may want to add a little sauce or a complimentary vegetable like sauteed onion to the roasted roots.

Quick Hit: A great dish I've prepared is roasted Turnip and Celeriac with butter melted (slow cooked) Leeks. To prepare this dish; combine the precooked vegetables in a hot saute pan with oil, add a pinch of kosher salt and shake the pan to toss and coat. When the veg is hot, plate and finish with a lemon creme fraiche sauce. Simply combine a half cup of creme fraiche, the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of salt. If you don't have creme fraiche, sour cream makes a good substitute. I usually add a little heavy cream to my sour cream, if I have it. Enjoy!