Taking the place of old-hat veggies, salsify proves its not a square root

Nation's Restaurant News, Feb 23, 1998 by Florence Fabricant

It's root vegetable time. And with carrots and beets now old hat and celery root and parsnips having become relatively familiar -- considering the number of celery root or parsnip purees being served across the country -- it looks like salsify's moment has come.

Salsify is an odd root. It looks like a skinny parsnip. Black-skinned salsify, called scorzonera in Italian, has a flavor similar to that of regular salsify. Both are white-fleshed when peeled.

Salsify is also called oyster plant because its taste is said to suggest oysters. It does have a slight sweetness, less than parsnips or carrots, perhaps, but the flavor also can hint of Jerusalem artichoke. Salsify sometimes can be mistaken for white asparagus, both in looks and taste.

The only problem posed by salsify, aside from the fact that peeling the slender roots is a labor-intensive task, is that the flesh oxidizes once cut, so care must be taken to immerse pieces in acidulated water to keep them white. Blanching them quickly also will set the color.

In the dark ages some 25 years ago, salsify was one of those vegetables that added a bit of fancy luster to a continental dish. And invariably, little sticks of pure white salsify came out of a jar or a can imported from Belgium. But now that salsify is grown here, no modern chef is opening cans of exotic vegetables, and many are starting to use salsify in a variety of dishes.

Soup is one example. At Chez Henri in Cambridge, Mass., a salsify bisque is afloat with oysters to intensify the flavor plus a julienne of vegetables and truffle essence.

As a winter vegetable accompaniment, salsify is served at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan with Moroccan-spiced lamb, scalloped potatoes and several other roots, including celery root and parsnips. At Les Celebrites in Manhattan, lievre a la royale, an elaborate French classic of hare in a sauce thickened with blood, is served with salsify, mushroom gnocchi, red wine sauce and white truffles.

Gertrude's is another Manhattan operation that features salsify this winter, with sauteed free-range chicken, soft polenta, forest mushrooms and crisp pancetta. And at Rosemarie's in Manhattan, a roast rack of venison comes with salsify and dried pears.

Salsify is excellent caramelized, a treatment amply suited for a sturdy root vegetable with a high-sugar content. Caramelized salsify and cauliflower are plated at Boulevard in San Francisco as a bed for Sea of Cortez sea scallops served with a raisin-Cognac vinaigrette.

Sauteeing, like caramelizing, is another fine method of preparing salsify. And at Mumbo Jumbo in Atlanta, pan-roasted venison with apricot ravioli and pumpkin seed oil is served with sauteed salsify. At March in Manhattan the salsify is crisped and served with a terrine of wild mushrooms plus baby lettuces and black truffles.

At Mark's in Manhattan an appetizer of warm Maine lobster comes with Japanese mushrooms, sizzled salsify and lemon vinaigrette. Like frizzled leeks and shoestring sweet potatoes, salsify also can be shaved paper-thin and deep-fried. Though the roots are too narrow for effective chip-making, crisp, curly frizzles are easily done and add a stylish thatch to the plate.

And now that salsify is becoming better known, are there any other roots worth digging up? Parsley root, which is not the same as parsnip, having a taste that is more herbaceous and not so sweet, might be the next candidate. At Spruce in Chicago, house-smoked goose comes with black truffles and parsley root.