Parsley root can be steamed, boiled, puréed, or creamed. Use parsley root in braises, soups, stews, and vegetable mixes to add depth and aroma. The flavor of parsley roots is somewhere between celeriac and carrot with hints of celery, turnip, and parsley leaf. Parsley root works particularly well in combination with other roots and tubers […] More
Taro, also called dasheen, eddo, or cocoyam, is always eaten cooked. Taro can be steamed, boiled, fried, stir-fried, baked, and braised. It is often added to stews and soups where it absorbs fatty juices and serves as a nutty thickener. Taro is a starchy root vegetable that has a sweet, nutty flavor—a flavor and texture that […] More
Cress is a common name for more than a dozen sharp, pungent, small-leafed greens that can be added to salads and sandwiches, and soups and used as a base for roast beef or chicken. Cress brings a dash of hot and spicy stir-fries and purées and can be finely chopped and added to butter, mashed […] More
Mushrooms have a deliciously woodsy flavor and are easy to prepare. Use mushrooms in appetizers, salads, dips, soups, sauces, omelets, stews, pizzas, and pasta, or match them with meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish. Mushrooms can be sautéed, broiled, grilled, steamed, or stir-fried. Favorite Mushroom Recipes Oven Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Oyster Mushroom Sautéed in Garlic Cultivated […] More
Sorrel has a lemony tang and succulent spinach texture that makes it a tasty fresh leafy addition to mixed-green salads, sandwiches, soft cheeses, omelets, and other egg dishes. Cook sorrel with leek soups, cream-based sauces, stuffings, veal, and pork. Sorrel can be used as a potherb and is ideal for lining the vessel for baking […] More
Mâche–also called corn salad and lamb’s lettuce–is a mild-flavored salad green. Mâche (say ‘mah-sh’) can also be steamed and served as a vegetable. Mâche has a sweet, slightly nutty taste. Its flavor is so subtle that it can easily be overpowered by other leafy vegetables or dressings. It is often served alone or as a counterpoint […] More
Pei tsai can be eaten raw or steamed, boiled, or quickly stir-fried. Pei tsai refers to several small, loose-leafed Chinese cabbages. Pei tsai is loose-headed cabbage with long, narrow, textured leaves whose tips branch outwards. It grows to about 12 inches (30 cm) tall. The light green, ruffled leaves and prominent white stalks are tender […] More
Napa cabbage or wong bok is a sweet-tasting hearted type of Chinese cabbage. It is barrel-shaped, with tightly-wrapped leaves and a dense heart. Napa cabbage can be steamed, boiled, quickly stir-fried, or eaten raw. Napa cabbage has a light, sweet taste and is tender. It is the best storing of Chinese cabbages and can be […] More
Mizuna has a mild and tangy flavor. Toss young mizuna leaves in a mixed salad. Larger leaves—which can have a mustardy or bitter-green tang–are best cooked briefly. Mizuna is sometimes called potherb mustard. Mix mizuna with other salad greens and mesclun or add shredded mizuna leaves to soups and stir-fries at the end of cooking. […] More
For a light delicate taste reminiscent of licorice and anise, choose Florence fennel. Florence fennel–which is also known as bulb fennel and in Italy as finnochio—is a pale-green, feathery-topped vegetable, with celery-like stems and swollen bulb-like bases of overlapping broad layers. The harvest season for this cool-weather vegetable is early fall through spring. How to […] More
Curly endive and escarole are both chicories of the same species. These two slightly bitter-tasting leafy greens can be eaten raw in winter or spring salads or added to soups where their tastes become mild. Curly endive has narrow, finely cut, curly leaves. Escarole has smooth, rounded, broad leaves. Often, the names endive, escarole, and […] More
Rhubarb is sharp and pungent with a fresh spring taste. Fresh rhubarb sauce and pie season starts in early spring and runs nearly to the first day of summer. Often thought of as a fruit, rhubarb is a vegetable. In some regions, rhubarb is so much thought of as a dessert fruit that it is […] More
Stephen Albert