Getting back to your roots

Nothing gives more satisfaction when cooking than to keep the number of saucepans and dishes down to a minimum. This is possible during winter months when we should all be making good use of root vegetables. When you are cooking for friends, you have no need to be jumping up and down to cook vegetables at the last minute. Sit down and relax whilst everything cooks without interference.

From amongst all the recipes you will find in cookery books, there are two camps. One insists on parboiling vegetables first before roasting. The other just doesn't bother and puts the vegetables into the oven in their raw state. What is best? It is really up to you as the end results are usually the same; it is just the cooking time that is longer. The danger of parboiling can result in waterlogged vegetables, which will not crisp up in the oven.

Celeriac, fennel, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, swedes and turnips all have their turn at this time of year. And the magic of roasting roots is that the combinations are endless.

Parsnips lead the way at this time of year and in the past few years have gone through a renaissance. In the Sixteenth Century, the parsnip was merely animal fodder and fed to pigs. However, having said that, nothing was thought to be more delicate than a pig fed on parsnips. In Italy, pigs that are destined for prosciutto crudo are still fed on them. Parsnips are best after the first frost as some of the starch has been converted into sugar. Now is the time to buy them. Curried parsnip soup from Jane Grigson's Vegetables is still a huge favourite. Cooking them with other root vegetables, gives a caramel glaze and sweetness that is truly delicious. Try some of these ideas.

Parsnip, pear and onion with a honey and mustard glaze

Peel and halve the parsnips, pears and onions. Put in a dish with some olive oil. In a bowl mix together some honey and Meaux mustard. Pour this over the vegetables. Cook in the oven GM4, 180°C, 350°F, for about 40 minutes until everything is cooked and golden brown. Take care not to burn the honey. Keep a watchful eye over it. This would be good with pork and you could always substitute the pear with apple.

Sweet potato, parsnip, celeriac and onion is another good combination. Don't forget that you can add cloves of garlic in their skins.

For a different type of mash, try this old Irish country dish of potatoes, parsnip and cabbage. Boil potatoes and parsnips until soft. Mash with milk. Cook cabbage until tender and then mix together with a good dollop of butter, salt and pepper. Serve with tasty sausages.

Sally Clarke recommends roasting chicory and parsnips (parboiled first for ten minutes) with honey, thyme and parsley and butter and olive oil. Cook in the oven on GM 4,180°C, 350°F for 20 minutes. Celery, fennel and onion is another favourite at her restaurant, Clarke's. Parboil the celery and fennel for about five minutes, the onions will take ten to fifteen. Chop garlic, thyme, rosemary and parsley, olive oil. Put in the oven on GM 4,180°C, 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Nigella Lawson cooks her leeks, sliced in half with olive oil, in a very hot oven for 25 minutes. She suggests turning them once so that they are evenly glazed. Just before serving, squeeze over some lemon juice and this will catch the caramelised bits and make a delicious juice.

Swedes and turnips

An article on root vegetables cannot neglect the veritable swede and turnips, whatever childhood memories we have of them. Mrs. Beeton condemned the swede as being ‘too coarse for the table'. Many prefer it to the turnip as it has a milder flavour. Go for the yellow-fleshed variety and mashed with plenty of butter and served with whisky, what could complement haggis better?

It is best to wait until the spring or early summer for turnips when they are milder and smell faintly peppery. Jane Grigson recommends dicing them, blanch for four to five minutes and then fry with butter until juicy and golden yellow. Parsley, chives, tarragon or rosemary are good accompaniments.

With all these suggestions and your own variations, you are spoilt for choice when choosing which vegetables to serve this winter.