The Food Underground

Potatoes and carrots bring as much to the beef-stew pot as the meat, and the musty flesh of a plump parsnip turns chicken soup into a sweet and satisfying treat. Why, then, do roots such as turnips and beets have such a poor-cousin status in the family vegetable bin? Sure, they look dreary, and they're hard (roots grow beneath the soil, after all, so they have to be tough), but you can coax sweetness from these vegetables with a gentle boil or a hot oven. What you shouldn't do is cook them until they fall apart.

Simmer chunks of orange and yellow roots in chicken stock to make a hearty soup, and garnish the mixture with an unexpected bouquet of mint, lemon rind, and the tender white ends of scallions chopped together and sprinkled on the bowls. Pair dense sugary beets with pieces of roast salmon, which can stand up to the dark purple-red roots. Simmer carrots and crystallized ginger until all of the water evaporates and the sweet orange slices are glistening. For an alluring combination of sweet and smoky flavors, braise celery root and parsnips with bacon until the vegetables are tender. Add a helping of brown rice and a few spears of broccoli, and you have dinner. No main course required.

ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP
SERVES 6

Chunky and satisfying, this bowl combines carrots, parsnips, and a turnip simmered in chicken stock. After cooking, puree some of the vegetable mixture and stir it into the soup to thicken it. The garnish of lemon rind, mint, and scallions adds a surprise.

2 tablespoons butter
1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped Salt and pepper, to taste
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 parsnips (about 1/2 pound total), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large turnip (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
Pinch of grated nutmeg, or to taste Grated rind of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 scallions (white part only), finely chopped

In a large flameproof casserole, melt the butter. Add the onion, shallots, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, or until the vegetables soften.

Add the carrots, parsnips, turnip, chicken stock, water, and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer the soup for 40 to 50 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you like.

Remove 1 cup of solids from the soup and mash them on a plate with a fork until the mixture is pureed. Stir the puree back into the soup. Return the soup to a boil.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon rind, mint, and scallions. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the mint mixture, and serve at once.

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES WITH THYME
SERVES 6

The beets stain the other vegetables they touch, but it just adds to the rustic quality of this dish.

2 medium beets, cut into 8 wedges each
8 medium carrots, cut into 3-inch lengths
2 parsnips, cut into 3-inch lengths
2 turnips, cut into 8 wedges each
2 Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes, cut into 3-inch pieces
2 large onions, cut into 6 wedges each Olive oil (for sprinkling)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (for garnish)

Set the oven at 400 degrees. In a large roasting pan, arrange the beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, and onions. Sprinkle them with oil, salt, and pepper.

Pour the chicken stock into the pan at the sides. Cover the pan with foil, shiny side down, and roast the vegetables for 50 to 60 minutes or until they are almost tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.

Remove the foil and continue roasting for 50 to 60 minutes or until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated and the vegetables are completely tender.

Sprinkle with thyme and serve at once.

SLOW-ROASTED BEETS WITH SALMON AND DILL VINAIGRETTE
SERVES 4

4 medium beets Olive oil (for sprinkling) Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless salmon, cut into 4 pieces

Set the oven at 425 degrees.

Use a rotary vegetable peeler to peel the beets. Slice the beets into 1/4-inch rounds. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle them with oil and turn them over so they are coated on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover the baking sheet with foil, shiny side down, and roast the beets for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue roasting the beets for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Leave the oven on.

Sprinkle the salmon with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the salmon for 10 minutes or until the fi sh is tender and cooked through. Remove the fi sh from the oven.

For the vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk together salt, pepper, and the vinegar just until the salt dissolves. Whisk in the mustard. Slowly whisk in the oil until the dressing emulsifi es. Stir in the dill.

To serve, arrange the beets on each of 4 dinner plates. Top with the salmon and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Serve at once.

VICHY CARROTS
SERVES 4

In this classic dish, originally made with the famous mineral water from Vichy, France, the liquid is absorbed by the carrots. Traditionally made with a little butter and sugar, this modern version uses crystallized ginger.

2 tablespoons butter
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into
1/4-inch diagonal slices
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger Salt and pepper, to taste

In a saucepan, combine the butter, carrots, ginger, salt, and pepper. Add enough water to cover the carrots by 1/2 inch. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the pan, lower the heat, and let the carrots simmer for 10 minutes or until they are almost tender.

Remove the lid and turn up the heat. Let the water bubble steadily until it evaporates, shaking the pan vigorously toward the end of cooking so the carrots glaze evenly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you like. Serve at once.

BRAISED CELERY ROOT AND PARSNIPS WITH BACON
SERVES 4

2 large celery roots (about 2 pounds total)
1 pound parsnips
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into strips
1 large Spanish onion, fi nely chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock, or more, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Peel the celery roots and parsnips. Slice them into 1/2-inch pieces. In a saucepan, bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Add the roots and return the water to a boil. Cover and cook the vegetables over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the roots begin to soften. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Set the oven at 425 degrees. In a small fl ameproof casserole, render the bacon, stirring often, until it turns golden and crisp.

Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the onion begins to soften. Add the celery roots and parsnips. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil.

Cover the pan and transfer it to the hot oven. Continue to cook for 20 minutes or until the roots are very tender. Add more stock to the pan a few tablespoons at a time if the vegetables absorb the liquid before they are cooked through.

Sprinkle the vegetables with parsley and serve at once.

Ask the Cooks: Hot Stuff

Seasoning Solutions

I prepared a package of dried-bean soup mix that was labeled "Louisiana Cajun." It came out terribly hot - so hot that I did not think we could eat it, and we're not squeamish about spices. What should I have done?
MARY ELLEN TURNER /// Lexington

We wonder if someone at the soup company spilled a little extra cayenne into the mix by mistake. A soup packer's revenge? A friend worked at Kellogg's one summer during college and occasionally added an extra handful of raisins to the Raisin Bran, because the supervisor kept telling everyone not to do that.

Alas, too many spices or chilies or too much salt are common occurrences at the stove, but there are some simple remedies. Make a pot of white or brown rice, then put a cup or so of it into individual shallow bowls, the kind you would use to serve pasta. Ladle the soup solids - with only a little of the broth - over the rice and serve. Or simmer 1/2 cup of rice right in the pot of soup. You also could simmer pasta such as orzo or tiny shells, along with a diced yellow or russet potato, in the soup. All of these will tone down the heat.

By the way, if the problem is too much salt in a creamy soup or dish, the remedy is to add cream, milk, sour cream, or yogurt, or you can go the rice-pasta-potato route.

We know this is another discussion for another column, but it is easy and less expensive to make your own soup. Just cook several varieties of dried beans and season them yourself. The result can be creative and is just about foolproof.