Author Notes
My winter vegetable CSA introduced me to a new root vegetable: salsify, and I experimented with cooking them en papillote, with shallots and a lemony mustard vinaigrette. The cooking method accentuated the salsify's delicate flavor. It was a real treat and I just wish this lovely vegetable were easier to come by.
Note: If you can't find salsify, this recipe would also work nicely with other root vegetables like parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, or fennel bulbs. —Fairmount_market
Ingredients
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2-3
salsify roots
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1
lemon
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1 tablespoon
olive oil
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1/2 teaspoon
dijon mustard
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1 tablespoon
white vermouth
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2
shallots
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salt and pepper to taste
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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Prepare the vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, mix together zest from the lemon (a microplane grater works well for zesting), 1 tablespoon lemon, mustard, olive oil, white vermouth, and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, lemon, and mustard to your liking.
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Peel the salsify with a vegetable peeler, cut into matchsticks about 1/4 inch wide and 2 inches long, and quickly toss the pieces into the vinaigrette as you go to slow the browning.
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On a baking sheet, spread out two sheets of aluminum foil, about 10 inches long. Divide the salsify and vinaigrette between the two foils and sprinkle over the chopped shallots. For each foil sheet, fold one half over the other and then crimp the edges to make a packet. Place the foil packets on the baking sheet into the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the contents are soft and have started to caramelize. Serve warm, pouring all of the accumulated juices over the vegetables.
I'm a biology professor and mother of two, and in my (limited) free time I love to cook, which is much more forgiving than laboratory science. Last year I helped start a farmers market in my neighborhood, and to promote it, I created a food blog: fairmountmarket.blogspot.com. I enjoy the challenge of coming up with recipes for local, seasonal ingredients and finding fun ways to cook with my children.
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