Persnickety Parsnip Soup

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An odd name for a soup, yes, I agree, but when it comes to the parsnip, it is a fastidious vegetable if there ever was one. The flavor is sweet and bright with a slight nuttiness, and unique with a strong floral scent that to try and mess with a recipe and overshadow or hide the parsnip flavor just will not do – the parsnip wants to be out in front, it wants you to know its there, and for you to give it your utmost attention. Keep the recipe clean, keep it rich, keep it parsnip.

I love parsnips. And after seeing the gorgeous roots on Winter Moon Farm‘s table at the Somerville Winter Farmer’s Market this weekend, I was compelled to put them into a soup. Together with some white carrots, celeriac, pear, leaks, garlic, a little spice in the way of nutmeg, and garnished with a little fresh arugula, the result in my soup bowl at dinner time was a pleasing blend of tastes that truly allowed the parsnips to scream “I’m King of the World” louder than James Cameron did at the 70th Academy Awards in 1998.

Elissa flattered the parsnips even further by saying that this recipe may in fact, be her new favorite Curious Soup (We wont let the French Onion Soup know her change in preference). The parsnips were absolutely beaming with satisfaction to the flavor detail it provided, and the nutritional value.

With over 286 mg of potassium in cooked parsnips – 35% of what is found in a banana – and healthy doses of phosphorus and folate, parsnips are fantastic for you. And if you are growing them yourself, know that parsnips are best harvested after the first frost of the year, as the cold helps to convert the natural starches into sweet sugar.

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Somerville Winter Farmer’s Market brings warmth to a cold winter day

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Yesterday I made it down to the Somerville Winter Farmer’s Market for the first time, and so happy I did. I’ve missed the excitement and bustle of the summer farmer markets found throughout Boston and its surrounding areas, and am always left saddened when November comes around and the familiar faces of the local farm communities and the people that love them so go into a hibernation of sorts. And of course, I miss the bounty of fresh, locally-grown vegetables. Well, that sadness is now lifted thanks to the folks at Shape Up Somerville, local farmers and the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets, and of course the community itself.

The Somerville Winter Farmer’s market opened its doors on January 8, 2011 at the Center for Arts at the Armory on Highland Avenue in Somerville, MA, and will continue every Saturday 10am-2pm through March 26th. For my first visit, I parked in front at exactly 9:57 am, knowing to be early at a farmer’s market is always best – you get first pick of the crop! My mission was two-fold: I wanted to check out the lay of the land and get a sense for how the market is being adopted by the community, and I was planning on a soup for that night, and was looking for some ingredient inspiration.

I walked in to see that the room was already packed with people eager for fresh vegetables. I browsed around a bit, noting who was there: Hi-Rise Bread Company (Cambridge), Winter Moon Farm (Hadley, MA), Stillman’s Farm (Hardwick, MA), Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA), Turtle Creek Winery (Lincoln), and many more.

I made the rounds, first to Enterprise Farm for kale, leeks, spinach and arugula, and then to Winter Moon Farm for some watermelon radishes, red popcorn, and some gorgeous parsnips and carrots for the “Persnickety Parsnip Soup ” I decided to make that evening. Next, I made my way upstairs to see what other vendors were represented. After spending a few minutes tasting the decadent treats offered by Elaine Hsieh Chocolatier, I picked up some fresh haddock from Jordan Brothers Seafood, and then spent some quality time chatting with Seta from Seta’s Mediterranean Foods. Since I am trying to start my own soup business in the local food community, I am eager to meet the people who have done or are trying to do the same, and listen and learn to their stories, and Seta had some great words of wisdom to share. I hope to get some more chances to talk with her in the future.

I walked away from Seta’s table with with some wonderfully tasting Hummus, Grape Leaves, and Metch, and made my way to the door – my shopping bags full of tasty produce, and my mind full of how I was going to cook them all.

Thank you to the Somerville Winter Farmer’s Market! You are bringing some warmth to these cold New England Winter days!

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The Best Simple Cold Remedy Tea

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There’s a snow storm attacking Boston right now – a frenzy of big fluffy white flakes that will accumulate to what my favorite weather-girl Dylan Dreyer from WHDH Channel 7 News is saying “between 4-7 inches”. Now, for us seasoned New Englanders, 4-7 inches means nothing – we laugh at such pitiful amounts. Show us a minimum of 8 inches of snow and maybe then we’ll start to think about weather advisory notices.

But when the storm outside rages, and you’re inside engaged in your own personal battle against flu symptoms or a nasty cold, seeing the snow outside collect on the ground and tree branches is more than enough to make you pull the fleece blanket up a little closer to your chin, reach for the Kleenex box, and be thankful the teapot is on the stove brewing up some tea.

We have a drawer full of specialty teas – Darjeeling whole black leaf, Jasmine Jazz Romance Enhancer green leaf, Copley Vanilla, Irish Breakfast, Peach Apricot, Aztec Sweet Chili, among others that – but when my nose is sniffling, my lungs are tickling, and throat is scratching, I make my surefire feel better lemon herb tea. Without fail, this is the only tea that saves my lungs from my annual bronchitis.

I brew the tea using a bodum ASSAM tea press pot with stainless steel filter, and get about 5.5 cups of tea out of it. If you want to make a single cup, just use smaller portions – there’s no exact science here.

  • 6-8 sprigs of fresh Thyme (dried will work also, but I’ve found it less effective)
  • 4 sprigs fresh or dried Sage
  • The zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 quarter wedges of a lemon
  • 6 cloves
  • 1/8 tsp toasted mustard seed (optional)
  • Boiling water

Why does this tea soothe so well? Well, it’s due to the plethora of its medicinal ingredients.

Thymo, the phenolic compound found in thmye, helps to give thyme its wonderful gentil aroma and taste, and acts as a natural cough suppressant, as well as an antimicrobial agent when used in mouthwashes and skin creams (McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking. New York: Scribner, 2004.) For centuries it’s been a remedy for ailments from epilepsy to melancholy, and today it is used to treat intestinal worms, gastrointestinal ailments, bronchial problems, laryngitis, diarrhea, and lack of appetite. Be advised though, thymol in its purest form can be an irritant, so this tea should be drank in moderation.

Sage was given the distinguished title of “Herb of the Year” in 2001 by the International Herb Association. (The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.) With its range of volatile oils, flavonoids, and rosmarinic acid, Sage is thought to have a broad range of medicinal properties such as anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial. Do not use sage if you have any kind of seizure disorder. (Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC.)

Lemon possesses powerful antioxidant and anti-cancer healing properties, is packed with 45mg of Vitamin C (75% of the daily requirement), is an aid for digestion, and is an internal body cleanser, and oh, it just smells and tastes so good! Limonin, found in the zest, increases the level of enzymes in the liver that may remove cancer-causing chemicals. The limonene has also been shown to remove estradiol, a hormone linked to breast cancer. (http://righteatinghabits.com/2008/10/03/healing-properties-of-lemon-there-is-more-to-lemons-than-vitamin-c/)

Cloves, the dried flower buds of the clove tree, grows in tropical climates and contains eugenol oil, a natural anesthetic that helps with blood circulation, can stimulate the skin when directly applied, relieves flatulence and helps promote good digestion as well as metabolism. In Asia, cloves have been used to treat conditions such as scabies, cholera, malaria and tuberculosis.

Mustard is a natural antiseptic and appetite stimulant. It helps to fight bronchitis, asthma, can soothe a sore throat, and even helps to relieve tired feet when added to a warm foot batch. The WorldWide Gourmet has a great post on the medicinal properties of mustard.

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Spicy Pickles

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I woke up with a curiosity for Hot Spicy Pickles, and I think I can blame it on the previous night’s “Hot and Spicy” episode of the Cooking Channel‘s Food(ography):

There I was: peacefully drifting off to the sleep, nestled beneath the covers that my wife Elissa was already trying to steal from me. I could hear the random murmurs of the TV from across the room. Someone – Mo Rocca? – started talking about pickles, and stuffing Habeneros into a jar for a an extra spicy kick, and for the rest of the night, amidst the chaos of my dreams, a recurring theme of cooking Spicy Cucumber pickles was established.

The next day I was determined to come up with my own Spicy Pickle recipe. With curiosity leading me, I started putting together a recipe, with the emphasis on the chilies.

  • 7 equal length pickling cucumbers
  • 4 jalapeños chilies, sliced in half
  • 4 habaneros chilies, sliced in half
  • 8 cloves of garlic
  • 2-3 tsp lemon zest
  • 8 tsp pickling spice (You can buy this in the store, or you can get curious and make your own like I did.)
  • 2 cups of fresh dill
  • 3 cups of boiled water
  • 3/4 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 3 tbsp Kosher Salt
  • 4 pint (16oz) containers (I used Ball wide-mouth glass mason jars). Before using, I recommend washing the jars and caps with soap and water and then also boiling them in a water bath to make sure they are sterilized. I boiled mine for about 5 minutes.
  1. Make a brine by combining the hot water, kosher salt and vinegar.
  2. Slice the rounded tip and stem off the pickles, then spear them into sixths: cut the pickles in half lengthwise, and then cut the halves into thirds. (Depending on your fancy, you can cut them anyway you like really – slices, wedges, as the profile of Abe Lincoln… go pickle crazy – I just chose spears because it was less cutting!)
  3. Stuff a half cup of dill into the bottom of each of the jars, followed by 2 tsp of the pickling spice and lemon zest.
  4. Begin stuffing the pickle spears into the jars, careful to keep them standing straight (imagine the way the crowd stands on the Boston MBTA Redline between Park Street and Central Square during rush hour – actually, on second, thought, scratch that image from your mind.)
  5. After every few pickle spears have made it into the jar, alternate stuffing a jalapeño, habanero, or smashed garlic clove. Each jar receives 1 of each pepper, and two garlic cloves.
  6. When done stuffing, add a heaping 1/2 tsp of lemon zest to the top of the pickles. Pour the brine mixture into the jar, leaving 1/3 an inch of space at the top.
  7. Give the jar a gentle shake to mix up the ingredients, and then either refrigerate or get curious about the canning process to preserve them for longer periods of time. If you refrigerate, let them marinate in the fridge for 5 – 7 days to let the pickles soak up the flavors. Then open and enjoy. If you want to try your hand at canning – check out Marissa McClellan’s blog at www.foodinjars.com. She’s got some great canning recipes and advise for newbies.
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