Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (110 page)

Cook parsnips in boiling, salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and puree in a food processor along with scooped out potato flesh. (Save the skins for
potato skins
.) Add cream, butter and optional ginger and process until well blended. Season to taste. Transfer puree to a heated serving dish and keep warm in the oven.

The parsnip was more popular in medieval times than it is today. Several centuries ago parsnips gave way to carrots at human tables and developed a reputation as an animal food. The Italians believe that pigs raised for
prochutto
—raw ham—give a more flavorful product if raised on parsnips. In Russia the word for parsnip is
pasternak
, a common last name and the moniker of one of Russia's most beloved writers, Boris Pasternak. The parsnip is sweeter than the carrot, especially if left in the ground until after the first frost. It contains carotenoids and vitamin C, calcium and potassium. The parsnip is rich in fiber. Medieval doctors prescribed the parsnip for toothache, stomachache, impotence and dysentery. Modern researchers have not yet turned their attention to the parsnip. Who knows but that they wouldn't confirm these pharmacological properties of this flavorful and underrated vegetable. SWF

Winter Root Medley
Serves 4

4 parsnips, peeled and cut into sticks

4 turnips, peeled and cut into quarters

1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into chunks

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

In a heavy skillet, saute vegetables in butter and olive oil until tender and golden brown.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a community-based organization of growers and consumers. The consumer households live independently but agree to provide direct, up-front support for the local growers who produce their food. . .the primary need is not for the farm to be supported by the community, but rather for the community to support itself through farming. This is an essential of existence, not a matter of convenience. . .. Some things are typical for all community-supported farms. In all of them there is a strong dedication to quality; most of them are organic or biodynamic farms, most of them show great diversification, most are integrated farm organisms having their own livestock and thus their own source of manure. Trauger Groh and Steven McFadden
Farms of Tomorrow Revisited

PEAS

Use freshly shelled peas or frozen peas. Plunge into boiling salted, filtered water for a few minutes, until just tender. Drain in a colander. Transfer to a heated serving dish, toss with butter and keep warm in the oven.

Peas belong to the legume family; and the common garden green pea is a staple in many cuisines, usually eaten dried. But nothing can match fresh green peas for sweetness and flavor. Unfortunately, few of us have time to shell fresh peas. Frozen peas are an acceptable alternative for soups and stews; and the Chinese pea or sugar snap pea brings all the flavor of fresh peas to your table without putting you to the trouble of shelling them.

Fresh peas provide carotenoids, B complex, vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as copper, iron, phosphorus and potassium. Studies have shown that peas can help prevent cancer in animals and that they act to lower blood cholesterol. A survey of diets in England and Wales indicates that peas may ward off appendicitis.

The surprising thing about peas is the fact that they contain antifertility agents. According to Indian scientist Dr. S. N. Sanyal, the population of Tibet has remained stable over the last 200 years because the pea forms a staple of the Tibetan diet. Dr. Sanyal isolated an antifertility compound in peas called m-xylohydroquinone which, when given to women in synthesized form, cut down the rate of conception by 50 to 60 percent. Unfortunately, the results are not as predictable as for other contraceptives and so this derivative of the pea has not been developed for the commercial market. Now that adverse side effects of the pill and other contraceptive methods are becoming known, it is time to renew research into the natural antifertility agents found in the pea. SWF

PEAS, CHINESE OR SUGAR SNAP

These are the delight of every serious cook. They take very little time to prepare, and they add an elegant touch of bright green to the plate. Remove ends and strings and place in a vegetable steamer. Do not cook until just before serving your main course. Steam about 1 minute—no more—or until peas turn bright green. Arrange artistically on plates or transfer to a heated serving dish. This is one of the few vegetables that is not enhanced by butter; they are naturally buttery and can be eaten plain.

Stir-Fry Chinese Peas with Sesame Seeds
Serves 6

1 pound Chinese peas, ends and strings removed

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or lard

1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons
crispy pine nuts

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted in oven

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

sea salt and pepper

Stir fry onions and Chinese peas in olive oil or lard for about 3 minutes. Add pine nuts and sesame seeds and cook another minute. Remove from heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil. Season to taste.

PEPPERS

Remove stems and seeds and cut into strips or chunks. Saute quickly in olive oil until tender. If you are using peppers of different colors, saute them separately and mix together at the end.

Peppers and Onions
Serves 4

2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 red peppers, seeded and sliced into strips

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon dried fine herbs

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

½ cup finely shredded basil leaves

sea salt and pepper

Saute onions and peppers gently in butter and olive oil for about 45 minutes until soft. Add herbs, crushed garlic and basil and cook another few minutes, stirring constantly. The consistency should be like marmalade. Season to taste. Serve as a side dish or as an appetizer on
triangle croutons
.

Peppers with Almonds
Serves 6

3 red peppers, seeded and cut into strips

2 green peppers, seeded and cut into strips

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¾ cup crispy almond slivers (
Crispy Almonds
)

½ cup raisins

1 teaspoon honey

¼ cup red wine vinegar

sea salt and pepper

Saute peppers in olive oil until tender. Meanwhile, dissolve honey in vinegar over a low flame. Add raisins and vinegar-honey mixture to peppers and boil down until most of liquid is evaporated. Stir in almonds and season to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature.

The pepper is one of those foods that came from the New World, but which is associated with many ethnic cuisines in Europe and Asia—the typical cuisines of India, Thailand, China, Hungary, Italy and Spain are almost inconceivable without the pepper.

Peppers can be divided into two main categories: sweet peppers, which are eaten as a vegetable; and chile peppers or hot peppers, which are used as flavorings and spices. Both are members of the capsicum family, a subset of the nightshade category of plants. Thus, the pepper is the cousin of eggplant, tomato and potato.

Peppers are rich in vitamin C and carotenoids and contain potassium and calcium. Red peppers are richer in these vitamins than green ones. The inner ribs of peppers are good sources of bioflavonoids, substances that protect blood capillaries from breakage.

Chile peppers are a good source of magnesium—the hotter the peppers the more magnesium they contain. Chile peppers have numerous medicinal properties, most notably the ability to loosen phlegm. Consumption of chile peppers in moderate amounts is an effective remedy for chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Compounds found in chile peppers act as decongestants and also help dissolve blood clots. Extracts of pepper have been used to treat toothache and conjunctivitis. Like so many other vegetables, peppers have been shown to lower blood cholesterol. SWF

POTATOES

Nothing can match the versatility of the potato, and potatoes in their simplest form can be as satisfying as the most complicated dish. To bake, wash potatoes and cut a bit off each end. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 to 1½ hours or until tender. If you brush the skins with oil, they will get crispy. Serve with butter or cultured cream.

To cook red potatoes, wash well, dry and put them in a clay pot. Cover, set in a cold oven and turn on to 250 degrees. The potatoes will cook in 2 to 3 hours depending on their size. (They will cook faster if you raise the heat but the flavor will be less intense.) May be served plain or tossed with a little butter. Tiny red potatoes may be cooked in a clay pot for about ½ hour and then sauteed whole in butter.

The potato ranks first among the many vegetables that came from the New World. European cuisine is unthinkable without the potato. Yet the potato had difficulty winning acceptance. Starving German peasants at Kolberg could only be persuaded to eat potatoes at gunpoint; Antoine Parmentier succeeded in kindling an interest in the French by presenting a bouquet of potato flowers to Marie Antoinette; the English offered subsidies to grow potatoes. Only in Ireland did the potato catch on quickly. Since it grew underground, it was a crop that could survive the devastations of military skirmishes, all too frequent on the soil of poor Ireland at the time.

Potatoes provide vitamin C and B complex as well as potassium, calcium and iron. Most of the nutrients are just under the skin, so don't peel them. The skin itself is full of fiber and can be retained in many potato preparations.

In spite of the potato's popularity, there has been little research on its pharmacological effects. Eating potatoes was formerly recommended by doctors in America for purifying the blood and curing indigestion. Potatoes contain chlorogenic acid, a chemical that prevents cell mutations leading to cancer. In some individuals potatoes raise blood sugar levels quickly, so potatoes may not be a good choice for some diabetics. Yet the maverick physician Henry Bieler recommended potatoes as the most digestible carbohydrate food.