What, IYNSHO, is the least appreciated vegetable?

[Jenise]

Walt Nissen's recent post of rack of lamb made me hungry for that item, so this week I picked up a beautiful rack of fresh, organic lamb from Oregon to pair with a good Bordeaux. I served a starter salad and adorned the lamb with just a pile of cooked carrots.

Now when I say "just", I don't mean I bought fresh local Nantes carrots, peeled and sliced them on the diagonal, glazed them in EVOO and butter with some wispy slivers of white onion, turned the heat to lowest setting and left them, covered, for 20 minutes, until they were completely tender. I removed the lid, threw a generous handful of parsley on top (not just a little for color, but a lot for a deliberately savory contrast to the earthy sweetness), and then reheated them to wilt the parsley slightly just before serving. THAT, my friends, is a properly cooked carrot. (And nothing like the orange-juice sweetened, pie spice-spicy cooked carrots of my childhood with everything but the marshmallows--which I despised).

I casually opined to said friend that carrots might be the least appreciated vegetable in the world. In America these days, people slice them for kids lunches, buy those awful machine-tumbled (and preservative-laced) "baby carrots" for crudite platters, and put them in stews where they cook until they disintegrate--oh and some gourmet types will cook a real baby carrot or two for a garnish--but nobody EVER seems to deliberately prepare carrots as a starring side-dish.

Except me.

(Of course, I could say the same about celery. I cook it differently, but yes, it can be a starring side dish, it's not just for tuna sandwiches, potato salads and mirepoix.)

So said friend responded that he thought carrots would be too strong for lamb, and listed cauliflower, eggplant and of all things turnips as vegetables he would consider a better match.

WHA-AT?

Discuss.

[Robin Garr]

Based on recent posts and discussions online, I'm pretty sure that the most under-appreciated vegetable is ...

OKRA

Okra is certainly a candidate. I wouldn't have thought carrots but that's because a favorite of ours is brandy glazed carrots. You make a good argument in a way, though, Jenise. Carrots are eaten a lot but maybe not appreciated for what they can be.

Five years ago, I'd have put brussels sprouts at the top of the list. Who knew they'd become so trendy?

I like cooked carrots; I usually use fresh oregano or sometimes fresh rosemary, instead of parsley.
But my candidate for the least appreciated veggie is Brussels sprouts. So there!

I recently made a confit of carrots that was a big hit.

Re your question, I think we need to distinguish "underappreciated" vegetables from "just awful" vegatables.

As to the question of what vegetable matches well with lamb, the answer is, of course, anything that's cooked properly.

Jeff, are you impugning the Brussels sprouts that are going in my lamb stew tomorrow?

[Jenise]

I like cooked carrots; I usually use fresh oregano or sometimes fresh rosemary, instead of parsley.
But my candidate for the least appreciated veggie is Brussels sprouts. So there!

That was true at one time, but as Mike F points out it's the trendiest vegetable of recent memory. Not just on main course plates, but I've seen whole starter courses of shredded sprouts with balsamic glaze, and roasted with bacon and garlic, etc. They're everywhere. Carrots should be so lucky!

And here I thought it was anise bulbs that was so popular. Whatever.

Actually, that was a slam against turnips. Neeps!

Under appreciated vegetable? -- hmmmm. So many anagles here.

By me, mt family or by the populace? There are some vegetables in the shops I've never cooked, others I've not ever encountered.

As accompanient to meats I like vegetables plain so as to appreciate them. But what I prepare for our weekly roast (tonight chicken) depends on the tastes of the three of us dining, all of who have likes that the others don't.
Son won't eat brussel sprouts or broad beans - that we both love
Jo doesn't like green or runner beans that I love, (and I'm growing dwarf French beans in the garden)
I loathe sweetcorn

so tonight we are each are having (along with roasted potatoes and parsnips), four of the following steamed
Carrots, cut into batons
Broad beans
Broccoli florets
Savoy cabbage chopped
French beans

[Jenise]

Peter, you definitely have vegetable dilemmas at your house!

But to answer your initial question, I meant populace.

The friend I mentioned who thought carrots were too strong eats broccoli and pureed butterhorn squash like every other night. Obviously they're not eating carrots at home or being served them in restaurants and other's homes such that his off-base prejudice gets challenged and shot down. And though I love and prepare them often, it's true that I can't remember ever having been served them anywhere, except one 3-4 inch baby as a garnish or something.

But of course there they were raw, all white and cloudy from the package, on a crudite platter at a garden party yesterday.

But of course there they were raw, all white and cloudy from the package, on a crudite platter at a garden party yesterday.

Ick.

My vote for an under-appreciated vegetable is parsnip: the texture and flavor are akin to carrot but also a little akin to potato, it roasts well and it simmers well in stews, I've seen it pureed now and then, but you almost never hear of it.

I think carrots don't get as much play as they deserve but they certainly do get some play because of the brilliant color.

I'm not sure how to categorize vegetables that I view as 'limited purpose' foods: celery knob, jerusalem artichoke, kohlrabi, chayote. Are there more than 1 or 2 preps for these?

Interesting question. Like many folks have already said, carrots seem to be appreciated fairly widely from what I can tell, even if not in the purest form. So am not sure they qualify for least appreciated.

Okra and turnips probably qualify for (justifiably) least appreciated, from my perspective. Not sure what an underdog vegetable that deserves more attention would be. Will think about it!

...kohlrabi, chayote. Are there more than 1 or 2 preps for these?

Well, once you grate them, you can make infinite variations on the sauce/dressing/accompaniments!

[Jenise]

But of course there they were raw, all white and cloudy from the package, on a crudite platter at a garden party yesterday.

Ick.

My vote for an under-appreciated vegetable is parsnip: the texture and flavor are akin to carrot but also a little akin to potato, it roasts well and it simmers well in stews, I've seen it pureed now and then, but you almost never hear of it.

I think carrots don't get as much play as they deserve but they certainly do get some play because of the brilliant color.

I'm not sure how to categorize vegetables that I view as 'limited purpose' foods: celery knob, jerusalem artichoke, kohlrabi, chayote. Are there more than 1 or 2 preps for these?

Over here on the left coast, parsnips seem to have had a nice resurgence due to the invention of the 'shmear'. I never ate one until I was in my 20's and living in England--someone fried them in strips and served them sprinkled with parmesan and garlic--divine. Wonder why I've never duplicated that--it deserves doing.

I like your term "limited purpose foods". Begs the question: where are the actual limitations? Is it the vegetable itself or our own failure to explore them? Maybe a lot of the latter?

Jerusalem artichokes are fantastic cold, sliced in salads (wonderful in combination with sliced fresh mushrooms and watercress), make great soups, purees and gratins, and are sensational just roasted and salted.

Chayote: pan sear and finish with lemon. Great side dish. Stuff and bake, cajun style. If you grow them, the tender young leaves are terrific in stir fries as is the crisp vine itself cut into sensible lengths. It's fab chunked, roasted, then mixed with hot sauce as the stuffing for vegetarian tacos--just add cheese and cabbage.

Kohlrabi--good cooked, but I love them raw so much that I never get around to doing anything else with them.

Let me say first-up, I love brussels sprouts. I had a four-year stint at boarding school, and was considered an asset because I'd eat everybody's brussels sprouts at the table, freeing them up from disapproving looks from the nuns who didn't like us to waste food.

Root vegetables all benefit from roasting, in my opinion. Few things are nicer in cool weather than a big baking dish full of roasted veges. Potatoes, pumpkin, squash, carrots, parsnips, beetroot - pile 'em in and roast 'em brown. Alone or with roast meat.

If I had to pick an under-appreciated vegetable it would have to be the swede turnip, aka rutabaga. I'm not a fan personally, and I don't know anyone who is. Yes, I'll eat up the neeps and tatties on Burns night, but I avoid them in other contexts.

I've done exactly that sort of dish with a couple of root veg as a separate dinner course to suit particular wines. Agree that they are not given the respect they deserve.

Ah the swede/turnip, fine diced up in soup with other root veggies. Rotten roasted IMHO.
My oldest B-I-L remembers digging them up (stealing?) and eating raw at a young age in Tasmania
But I put that down to having recently arrived from a DP camp after WW2, must ask him if he would still eat them, knowing what he does and doesn't eat now I suspect he would run away.

[Jenise]

Interesting to see "swede/turnip". Here on the left coast we differentiate between the two, but friends who are Canadian and moved here from Toronto were discussing their unhappiness at being unable to find large turnips here. "Back home they're like this," said Linda, holding her hands apart to indicate something about the size of a canteloup. It was only in discussing them here on this board a bit later that I realized that her turnip is my rutabega and my turnip isn't in her realm at all.

Once in Holland a British neighbor served pureed swede with dinner, and I didn't care for it as it was quite watery. But I had them a year or so ago roasted and baked with tomatoes at a vegetarian restaurant and loved them. It's really something I should look into using more.

I've seen a lot of favorites here but I have to agree with Robin.

OKRA

If you know Indian or Turkish food, or middle eastern food -- OMG what they do with Okra

Not to mention the American south.

If you keep okra out of your life you have NO IDEA what you are missing.

I made a version of Güveç, Turkish vegetable stew, that made our friend Karl fall in love. He has had me make it for a couple of his dinner parties. This version has fresh dill and lots of okra in it. Frankly I think it's amazing. Indian "Bhindi" dishes and middle eastern "Bamiya" dishes are just as delicious. "Lady Fingers"!

It NEVER comes out slimy when I cook it. Am I just lucky?

BTW at a local farm market I was lucky enough to find purple, yellow, and white carrots, which I bought.

Sprayed with olive oil, salted, and roasted at 400 degrees -- you wouldn't believe how CARROTY they taste!

It is a revelation.

[Jenise]

BTW at a local farm market I was lucky enough to find purple, yellow, and white carrots, which I bought.

Sprayed with olive oil, salted, and roasted at 400 degrees -- you wouldn't believe how CARROTY they taste!

It is a revelation.

If you have the current issue of Saveur, check out the carrot tart. They use multiple colors, slice them in ribbons, bake the ribbons and then arrange them by color for a gradient effect over a ricotta base. Looks incredible!