Forgotten Vegetables

Such fun to explore the world of vegetables once popular and now forgotten, meaning almost forgotten. Ask your greengrocer and help bring them back to our tables!

Over the years we have prepared:

Burdock Root, an ignored vegetable. It is delicious with a mild and slightly nutty flavour. Native in Europe and Asia, and introduced worldwide. A vegetable often used in the Japanese cuisine. We made Ume Gobō.
(Swiss) Chard is used in a pie called Tourte de Blettes. According to some the savory version is the real Tourte, according to others it’s the sweet version!
Helianthus, another ignored vegetable. It is widespread in North America and Canada. It’s creamy and its flavour slightly nutty.
Jerusalem Artichokes, also known as Topinambour. You can turn them in a purée. If you have fresh, firm topinambour it’s a better idea to fry them.
Kale Sprouts, also known as Kalettes, Lollipops or Flower Sprouts. Some look like mini Brussels Sprouts, others more like mini Kale. When eaten raw they taste like Brussels Sprouts and we could imagine using the smaller ones in a salad. When stir fried their taste is very similar to cabbage. Not our favorite.
Mashua, an absolutely delicious vegetable. It grows very well in colder climates, it’s not very demanding and comes back year after year thanks to its tubers. Other names include Capucine Tubéreuse, Knollige Kapuzinerkresse en Knolcapucien. The taste and the texture of the cooked mashua tubers took us by surprise: delicate cocoa but not sweet, moist and with a pleasant structure thanks to the peel.
Oca, a smal, small red tubers from Peru. When baked it tastes like really, really good potatoes: soft and nutty.
Parsley Root, is exactly what you would expect. We made a purée with the root and it was nicely parsley flavored. Works very well with rich, bold flavors.
Parsnip, can be made into a purée but better to combine with other vegetables for a tasty oven dish. Or fry as we did!
Tuberous Chervil, a bit of work to clean them but they make for a lightly chestnut flavored purée. Great when combined with lamb. Many recipes suggest combining them with other vegetables, but why would you? They are delicious in their own right!
(Golden) Turnip has been around for many years (according to some sources as early as 2000 BC), and it is used in many cuisines. The leaves are also edible. The golden turnip has a beautiful yellow colour, its taste is sweet and delicate, the structure smooth. Great to turn into a mash (with butter and perhaps nutmeg). They can be eaten raw (crunchy and the taste is peppery, radish-like). You could also mix them with other vegetables such as Jerusalem artichoke and Parsnip (fry in the oven).