Back to the roots
Blue Sweden, turkish peas and purslane. They are again, the old varieties of vegetables and potatoes that were almost forgotten. After globalization has brought us a variety of exotic delicacies, now long spurned native species return to markets and menus. Historical pleasures with nostalgia value, unspoilt and earthy, tasteful and not infrequently in unusual colors.
The first was the rocket. Hardly anyone knew this old vegetable ten years ago. Today, arugula or rocket from fresh salads is hard to imagine. Mangold is once again one of the indigenous classics. From his strong, calcium-rich leaves wonderful hearty quiches and stuffed roulades can be prepared. The trend continues: In the meantime, vegetable treasures such as turnip, tuber, carrot, tomato Vierländer Platte and broccoli calabrese, which used to decorate every cottage garden, have been rediscovered. Also parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes and Teltower turnips experience a rapid comeback. Top chefs show it: They serve "balsamic turkey breast on glazed Teltower turnips" or "Jerusalem artichoke soup with cinnamon croutons" and even pull the vegetables quite often? like Bocuse? in your own garden.
In France and the USA grandma's parsnips have long been considered a delicacy. The sweet-spicy root, which is harvested after the first frost, tastes excellently raw as a salad or steamed as a vegetable garnish. At the same time it brings twice as much provitamin A and vitamin C on the plate as the carrot. Healthy ingredients with which other historical vegetables can score. After all, they were the main suppliers of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in times when the stores were not overflowing with tropical fruits.
Old vegetables enrich the menu
Jerusalem artichokes also has a lot to offer. The plant is a sister of the sunflower, but instead of oily seeds it puts its power into fist-sized reddish or white tubers. They look inconspicuous, but they are full of iron. Roasted, steamed or boiled, they are reminiscent of artichoke bottoms and salsify with their nutty flavor. A delicious power salad can be served with purslane. The small thick leaves are not only pretty to look at, they contain not only vital substances for plants but also an unusual number of vascular protective omega-3 fatty acids. Their edible seeds taste sour as tasty as capers.
An enrichment of our menu are the old vegetables. Our recipes can be seen on the following pages, showing how these roots, leaves and tubers can be used to make more than traditional home-cooked food. Many long-forgotten vegetables can be found in health food stores, at weekly markets or even in the supermarket. Others, such as oat root or hops asparagus, are still the domain of hobby gardeners, who grow regional specialties again with seed rarities. In any case, it is worthwhile to look for these delicacies. And according to grandmother's favorite recipes with it too.
Recipe of chard rolls with ricotta filling
4 portions roulades: 8? 10 large chard leaves, salt, 50 g pecorino cheese, 6 dried tomatoes in oil, 3 tablespoons capers, 1 egg yolk, 250 g ricotta (fresh cheese), freshly ground pepper, fresh grated nutmeg; Fat for the mold; 1 tbsp butter; Tomatoes: 2 garlic cloves, 3? 4 large tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil? For the roulades: clean the chard leaves, rinse and cut off the thick pieces. Finely dice the stalks. ? Cook the chard leaves in boiling salted water for about 1 minute. Rinse off cold, drain on kitchen paper. Pre-boil the diced mangold stalks for about 2 minutes, place in a sieve and rinse off with cold water. ? Finely grate the pecorino. Drain the dried tomatoes and finely chop them together with the capers. Mix chard, pecorino, tomatoes, capers, egg yolks and ricotta. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. ? Preheat oven to 200 degrees, convection 180 degrees, gas level 4. ? Spread 1 2 2 tbsp of the filling on a chard leaf and roll up the paper. Put all the rinds in a greased baking dish and top with butterflakes. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. ? For the tomatoes: peel off garlic, cut into slices. Rinse the tomatoes and cut into slices about 1 cm thick, removing the stalk. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the garlic and tomato slices for about 4 minutes, turning them once. Then season with salt and pepper. ? Arrange the chard rolls on the slices of tomato. In addition: fresh bread or potatoes Tip: For the tomatoes, best take the variety Vierländer Platte or beef tomatoes. Per serving approx.370 kcal, E 19 g, F 26 g, K H 14 g
Recipe stew of Teltower turnip, pumpkin and pears
4 servings 1 kg Teltower turnip, 700 g Hokkaido pumpkin meat, 2 pears, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, 30 g fresh ginger, 2 garlic cloves, 2 large onions, 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 2 tablespoons flour, 700 ml vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1? 2 teaspoons of crushed chili peppers, salt, freshly ground pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, 1? 2 bunch cilantro? Peel and rinse the Teltower turnip and chop. Also rinse the turkey meat and dice. ? Rinse pears, quarter, core and cut into slices. Rub the pear slices with a little lemon juice and set aside. ? Peel ginger, garlic and onions and cut into thin slices. ? Heat oil in a pot. Ginger, garlic and onion in it. Add the turnip and squash cubes, dust the flour and sauté briefly. ? Add broth and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Then add the pear slices, curry and chili and cook for another 5 minutes. ? Season the stew with salt, pepper, a little lemon juice and nutmeg. Rinse coriander, shake dry and pluck the leaves. Sprinkle over the stew before serving. In addition: fresh baguette Pro portion approx. 250 kcal, E 7 g, F 6 g, K H 39 g
Recipe Jerusalem artichoke salad
3 portions 700 g young Jerusalem artichoke tubers, salt, 2 red onions, 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds, 1 clove of garlic, 2 tbsp granular mustard, 4 tbsp sherry vinegar, 2 tbsp rapeseed oil, freshly ground pepper, 1? 2 bunch of chervil, chives and dill? Rinse topinambur and cook in salted water for about 20 minutes. Peel onions and cut into small cubes. Roast pumpkin seeds in a frying pan without fat. ? Chop pumpkin seeds roughly. Peel garlic and finely dice. Mix the pumpkin seeds, garlic and mustard. Stir in vinegar and oil and season with salt and pepper. ? Rinse herbs, shake dry and chop the leaves roughly. ? Slice the Jerusalem artichokes lengthwise. Mix the Jerusalem artichokes, onion cubes, herbs and vinaigrette. Let it strain for about 10 minutes before serving. In addition: fresh baguette Tip: Brush the tender young Jerusalem artichoke tubers thoroughly under running water and cook with the shell. Larger older tubers should be peeled better. 250 kcal per serving, E 11 g, F 16 g, K H 15 g
Recipe parsnip soup with "straw"
4 portions Soup: 2 onions, 1 kg parsnips, 2 tbsp oil, 2 bay leaves, 1 star anise, 3 cloves, 1.2 l vegetable broth, 200 g crème fraîche, salt, freshly ground pepper; Straw: 1? 2 bunch of curly parsley, sweet and sweet paprika powder; Oil for frying? For the soup: peel onions and quarter. Peel the parsnips, rinse and dice, except for a large parsnip. ? Heat oil in a pot. Fry onions and parsnips in it. Add laurel, star anise and cloves. Add the vegetable stock and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. ? Remove the spices. Add creme fraiche. Season with salt and pepper and puree everything with the hand blender. Pour the soup through a sieve and keep warm. ? For the straw: Cut the remaining parsnip into a long strip with a zester. Rinse the parsley, shake well dry and mix with the parsnip strips and some paprika powder. ? Heat the frying oil in a pan and fry the parsley strips and parsley until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. ? Arrange the parsnip soup in soup plates. Sprinkle with the "straw" and dust some paprika over it. In addition: fresh baguette or farmer's bread Pro portion approx. 340 kcal, E 5 g, F 31 g, K H 10 g
