Ah, Monday. It's like Christmas each week, but wherein I pay for all my own presents: what will Abel and Cole give me this time? This week's selection included a bunch of hardened, muddy black roots that look like something the three witches might have used against Shakespeare when they forced entry into Macbeth. Prophecy Sticks! Or, as I discovered when I referred back to the delivery sheet, black salsify. A "herbaceous perennial", apparentl, principally grown in Belgium (although also found bountifully in Spain) that has a nearly year round season, planted in March after the first thaw and providing substinance right through to February. Actually this seems like the perfect plant for me and my Thumbs of Plant Doom. Huzzah! Few diseases, fewer pests, although I don't much like the thought of powdery mildew. Vaguely remniscent of the old lady paper cheeks that three prophetic witches might have. Even after soaking the mud off and polishing up their thick, bitter skins, I was still at a bit of a loss as to what to do with them until....
SWEET POTATO AND BLACK SALSIFY MASH
ingredients
1 sweet potato, medium
1 black salsify, shortish but not too short
olive oil
a dash of milk (soy or otherwise)
salt and pepper to taste
method
Scrape away the salsfy's skin with the sharp edge of a knife. The skin of a salsify root is pretty bitter, but don't feel you have to be a perfectionist about it. Cut into two-three inch lengths and throw into a large saucepan of water. While that's beginning to boil, roughly chop the sweet potato into what would be bite-sized pieces if you were roasting them. I prefer to leave the skins on for a scrummy chewiness you just don't get by peeling. But feel free to if you prefer. Keep in mind that if you do leave the skins on, you ought to give it a really good scrub first otherwise grit grit grit. When the salsify is tender -- that is, when you can run a knife cleanly through the largest piece and it falls away without sticking -- remove the pot from the heat and drain away any excess water. Pour a squidge of milk and some olive oil over the cooked roots. Be liberal with the oil, the more the moister (without the heaviness or near liquification of overmilking). Mash to your heart's content.
I served mine with sides of steamed broccoli and cauliflower and roast parsnips, and a couple of nicely grilled veggie sausages. Fuck me delicious!
In future I might purchase a little parsley for the occasion. I've three more black salsify roots to go, so stay tuned for more wiley ways of wrangling them into something edible.
emmms
Comments