And so you think it’s the grim time of the year now, with all the vibrant mediterranean vegetables if not finished, then flown across and expensive. Tomatoes don’t taste of anything much; peppers and aubergines are not as sweet as a couple of months ago and you can’t just eat mushrooms all the time. But you’re wrong: it’s the vibrant time of the unassuming autumnal heroes, root vegetables.
I love summer but always look forward to root veg roasts, trays of caramelised carrots, sweet parsnips, gnarly celeriac and even Jerusalem artichokes, aka fartichokes (for obvious reasons).
They are all traditionally English, ancient crops with the exception of potatoes, which only arrived at European tables in the 16th century, brought over from South America. With sweet potatoes joining the band, there’s a really vibrant and versatile array of the vegetables whose edible parts we dig out from the ground – which of course is what root vegetables are.
Think beyond bland, boiled carrots and you can discover a huge range of cooking uses. Quite a few rooties can be eaten raw and used in exciting salads: celeriac remoulade, beetroot salad and zingy carrots for instance. And although coleslaw is mainly cabbage, it wouldn’t taste good without carrots and radish.
These vegetables make fabulous gratins, creamy, cheesy or both, like parsnip gratin, Jerusalem artichoke or beetroot gratin. You can mix them into an autumnal tian or spread on a baking tray for roasted root vegetable medley, to serve with bulgur wheat.
Parsnip is great in tray bakes, with sausages and pears, or roasted and added to a pear and halloumi salad. Surprise: it also makes a delicious cake! And whole celeriac is an impressive centrepiece when baked in a salty crust. Plus, you can use it for a vegetarian Wellington, if you’re in search of a festive veggie dish.
Turnips with Parmesan are a lovely side dish, and that is all before we even get to potatoes! Try sweet potatoes with chorizo and bacon, or baked and topped with tahini butter.
I’ll save ordinary spuds for a feature on their own as they certainly merit that. For now, happy rooting!