Salsified Bacon
According to urbandictionary, to salsify something is to alter its texture to resemble that of a salsa. I thought I was going to be funny in a way of my own about the fact that the vegetable in question sounds like a verb. (There are lots of food verbs of course, most of them dirty slang). The bacon is simply salsified because it’s combined with salsify to make lovely lovely food.
Salsify is an odd looking (or very typical-looking) root. Almost black, but white when peeled. Peel ’em and boil for sligthly less than 10 minutes. Soft but firm is what we’re after.
Meanwhile, in a pan, cook some diced bacon and chopped onions gingerly, to render the fat and avoid early onset BCB (burnt crunchy bits), but not so gingerly that the bacon is boiled instead of browned. When the salsify is done and drained, add it to the pan and crank up the heat a bit. My preparatory research suggested that salsify is often enjoyed with salt and a knob of butter, and bacon delivers fat and saltiness in one neat package. I added a hint of garlic, some coarsely ground black pepper and a drizzle of honey at the end to get the dish a bit bolder. Maple syrup or similar is probably also completely awesome.
It doesn’t have to be harder than that. Probably not a restaurant class dish, and probably not something you tell your dietitian about, but it was very tasty in my opinion
January 25, 2013 at 15:43
Never tried salsify, but you make it sound delicious.
And it does sound like a verb. (And I’ll probably spend the morning thinking about other food verbs, for comparison’s sake.)
January 26, 2013 at 04:45
Peeled and cooked salsify with a bit of salt and butter looks and tastes very much like white asparagus, fortunately without the smelly pee.
some house-trained food verbs off the top of my head: milk, cream, bread, butter, prune, fillet, duck :)
January 28, 2013 at 15:00
Jam, grease, egg, rib, cake, cook…
And without the smelly pee! Now that’s a check in the plus column.
January 30, 2013 at 00:58
Apparently ‘Poor man’s asparagus’ is some sort of folky name, but I’m betting that salsify is more expensive than asparagus these days.
February 4, 2013 at 21:17
I’m not at all sure I’ve ever even seen it for sale.
But I’m not what you’d call an adventurous cook.
February 5, 2013 at 03:07
Luckily, not everyone has to be. You can just lean back and reap the benefits of my culinary trailblazing :D
February 5, 2013 at 15:48
I did threaten to hire you if you emmigrated.
As long as I can pay you in cookies.
February 6, 2013 at 01:09
I’d prefer more varied food than cookies though, but they can be part of the deal. I’d also probably trade some of the cookies for time to amble about in the VT countryside :)
February 6, 2013 at 04:42
Alright, cookies and a bushel of corn.
You can amble, it’s excellent ambling country.
February 6, 2013 at 23:00
deal. (if and when I migrate)