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Rootin’ for Thanksgiving

The trees are bare. The fields are empty. We spend more time indoors, and turn on the long-neglected oven to fill our home with warmth.

The cool gray of autumn brings a bounty of fresh fall flavors.  Aromas of fragrant roasting turkey, earthy potatoes, casseroles, and fruity desserts mingle in the crisp evening air. We need more comfort food to counteract the dark, bleak, pervading grayness.

The Thanksgiving holiday is almost here, and the garden harvest is rapidly coming to an end. Among the traditional accompaniments to the stuffed roast turkey are versatile roots like potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. But there are so many more! Parsnips, beets, leeks, fennel, salsify, turnips, rutabagas, celeriac (aka celery root), sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes) all make delectable, hearty fare to help you shake off the blues on blustery fall days. Some are sweet; some are pungent. Mix and match them to create varied flavors and textures. All of these hardy, sturdy vegetables must be dug before the ground freezes and is covered by a white snowy blanket.

Often viewed as humble fare, these subterranean delights have a rough, dirty, gnarled and knotty exterior. Inside, however, is a wealth of flavor, bright color, and rich nutrients. They’re excellent sources of fiber and vitamins, including important antioxidants. Yellow roots like carrots and sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, while others supply folic acid and vitamin C. Beets and potatoes are particularly high in potassium, a mineral important to regulating the cardiovascular system. The allium vegetables, like leeks and onions, are known to prevent colorectal cancers and are good for heart health. Betacyanin, the dye responsible for the bright crimson color of red beets, is also a powerful cancer preventative.

Roots vary in the amounts of sugars and starches that they contain, with beets and carrots being the highest in sugar, while potatoes are highest in complex carbohydrates. Since they act as a conduit to store minerals from the soil, they’re good sources of potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, and manganese.

Thanksgiving is both a harvest festival and the time we give thanks for great bounty. This is the time of year we gather together to give thanks for the blessings we’ve received: blessings of food and shelter, blessings of friendship, family ties, and love. The election trauma has torn us apart. Now it is time to gather together with gratitude for the great heritage we have in these United States of America.

President Abraham Lincoln implored God to heal the wounds of the nation. He recommended “humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience.” He prayed for “all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife.” We can all take a lesson from this humble President who served our nation a century and a half ago.

Most countries have celebrations of independence and days that remember their fallen soldiers. Many have harvest festivals, like the Jewish holiday Sukkot or the Hindu festival of Onam. But few other nations set aside a national holiday whose main purpose is gratitude.

Celebrate Thanksgiving with an assortment of roasted, earthy roots. There are many ways to cook them, but roasting or baking locks in the nutrients and intensifies flavor. It is better than boiling, which can leave them mushy and watery.

When shopping, look for roots that are firm, not too large, with smooth skin. Be sure to peel or scrub them well, as they’re coated with sand and (unless you buy organic) they absorb pesticides and residual chemicals from the soil.

To prepare, peel and cut into chunks. The smaller the chunks, the faster they will cook. They go well with butter or olive oil. Herbs and spices like basil, parsley, dill, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, cumin and curry enhance their flavor.

Place the cut up roots in a shallow-rimmed baking dish in a relatively hot oven (400 degrees to 425 degrees). Bake about 45 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces through. Season them with salt and butter, or for a low-fat version, salt and a little lime juice. If you like to add a bit of sweetness, mix a little butter with maple syrup. Or season with sautéed onions and sweet or hot peppers, or grated cheese melted in. The possibilities are as good as your imagination.

As we sit down at festive tables laden with traditional dishes of turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, let us thank God for the love of friends and family, the living earth that nourishes our bodies with food, and the natural beauty that surrounds us here in these mountains. Let us give thanks for the farmers who grew our food, the hands that prepared it, the material abundance we take so much for granted, and friends and family to share it with.

Roasted Roots Side Dish

Ingredients:

2 pounds assorted root vegetables

1 or 2 cloves garlic

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or paprika

2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil

1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh minced parsley

Directions:

Peel and scrub the root vegetables. Cut them into chunks.

Peel and mince the garlic.

Toss the roots with the olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper.

Place in single layer in buttered, shallow baking dish.

Roast root vegetables in a 425°F oven until soft, 40 – 60 minutes. Test for doneness with a fork. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve.     Serves six to eight.

For an impressive presentation, roast a variety of roots together (not just one or two).

If you’re roasting beets, roast them in a separate pan if you don’t want to turn everything pink.

Pork Root Roast

Ingredients:

1 small pork loin roast (about 3 pounds)

oil

salt & pepper

curry powder

3/4 cup red wine

1/2 cup broth or water

6 cups root vegetables, cut into chunks (I used 2 carrots, 2parsnips, 2 small turnips, 1 celery root, 2 potatoes, 2 onions )

1 teaspoon salt

a little pepper

1 clove crushed garlic

1/2 teaspoon basil

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Fresh herbs for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Brown the meat lightly in a little oil, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Season lightly with salt, pepper and curry powder. Transfer to baking dish. Pour in the wine and broth. Bake about one hour.

Prepare the vegetables. Cut potatoes and celery root into one-inch chunks, carrots and parsnips into one-inch lengths, onion into wedges. Place in large mixing bowl, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and a little pepper and mix well to coat (hands work best). Combine 2 Tablespoons oil with 1 clove crushed garlic and 1/2 teaspoon basil. Sprinkle with the oil, and mix to coat again. Set aside.

Remove pan from oven and arrange vegetables around the meat. Return to the oven and continue baking until meat and vegetables are tender. Check and stir every 30 minutes or so, adding liquid if needed, until both vegetables and meat are cooked through so that a fork goes in easily. It should take about an hour of oven time. Serve hot, garnished with fresh herbs like basil, parsley or dill. Serves 8.

Author of the award-winning cookbook “Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market,” Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two

passions: cooking and writing. She can be reached at www.wordsaremyworld.com or on Facebook as Author

Yvona Fast.

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