How do you cook salsify?

[HeyWayne]

LadyWayne bought some recently, and I discovered it in the fridge last night in need of being used.

It's strange stuff innit. Goes all sticky when you peel it.

Tasted it raw, and it had a kind of "nutty" taste to it - very subtle, but there.

I simply sliced it and sautee'd in butter, served it with a pumpkin (also needed using) risotto and some sea bream fillets.

How should I have cooked/prepared it?

[piskieinboots]

many moons ago (when I was little) my Dad used to grow Salisfy, he cooked it as you would carrots

[HeyWayne]

(when I was little)

Waddya mean "when"?

[Nicos]

I usually steam mine. With skin on and scrape out contents...or peeled, rolled in lemon juice to prevent discolouring.

[piskieinboots]

Waddya mean "when"?

when I was this little

[Nicos]

2" high???..that really is tiny piskie!!

[Rhona]

What you did sounds like a perfectly decent way to treat salsify! I think it's a bit like JA's and I would be inclined to treat it in a similar fashion. It's supposed to be a bit oyster-like in taste once cooked, so probably worked brilliantly with the fish and risotto.

[Jardiniere]

i've grown some this year and i cook mine like parsnips, carrots etc, steam, boil, serve with butter or sauces etc.luverly...

[HeyWayne]

LadyWayne said she wont buy it again - she didn't like the look of it. Said it looked like a dried up snake (prior to me peeling/slicing it).

She ordered it from an online place we use from time to time.

On a slightly related note - her brother also ordered some stuff recently and was given a jar of this stuff free:

Fricassée ''à la Vouvrillonne''

Now, he and his good ladyfriend don't like the look/smell of it and neither are particularly big on cooking anyway, so they gave it to us.

My guess is that it's like a pasta sauce - heat it up and stir through some pasta and serve with sausage, or pork of some kind - maybe even chicken, but other than that I'm at a bit of a loss.

The destructions on the website aren't much help either.

Any of our France-bound ex-pats familiar with this, or any of our gastro-genii point me in the right direction?

Merci.

[pigletwillie]

You peel it, put it in a pan of water with a spalsh of lemon juice and use a clean brick to hold it under the water. Boil vigourously for 2 hours, drain, throw away the salsify and eat the brick.

[HeyWayne]

You peel it, put it in a pan of water with a spalsh of lemon juice and use a clean brick to hold it under the water. Boil vigourously for 2 hours, drain, throw away the salsify and eat the brick.

Is that 2 hours for a standard clay brick, longer for engineering?

[pigletwillie]

Four hours for a blue brick but you need to add more salt too. London bricks, being a bit soft can be lightly poached, Ibstock handmades give a lovely rustic look on the plate.

[Rhona]

I think you're right about the Vouvrionne Fricassée - it's a creamy, wine-y, shallot-y sauce. So, yes - looks like you've got a posh jar of pasta sauce! It'll be good with pork or chicken. Looks lovely, if a bit rich...

That website's fab by the way - very glad you introduced me to it. They're about to get our Christmas order!

[tiachica]

Fricassee is what we usually call a dish with chicken in white sauce. Is there meat in the sauce? then I recommend eating it with potatoes...

[tiachica]

From the website it contains pork and there are instructions too:

Advice

Reduce a wet shallot and mushrooms in some dry white wine ( Vouvray). Add some crème fraiche. Cook on slow fire. Coat the andouillette (pork) beforehand burned out in the chimney, in the barbecue, or in the anti-adhesive frying pan.