Cabbages and Kings

Every year there is so much talk of the return of spring vegetables; asparagus and beans and new potatoes. These are followed closely by the onslaught of summer peaches and mangoes and sun-ripened tomatoes. Then autumn brings promise of icy-crisp apples and buttery pears, pumpkins and corn. Finally, comes winter.

What do we look forward to in winter? It is a season of cold storage produce; three months when fallow fields mean shallow choices at the market. Perhaps the famous line should have been “the winter of our culinary discontent.”

It’s not all bleak. There are mandarins, I suppose, as well as other citrus. Oh, and rhubarb, silverbeet, and leeks. Then there are Brussels sprouts and broccoli and cabbage and cauliflower. And, please don’t forget, my favorite, the root vegetables.

Carrots and parsnips and rutabaga and turnips and potatoes and beets and yams, each appearing in multiple varieties, all beg to be the starchy foundation upon which you might build a generous winter’s meal. Who amongst us doesn’t like to swirl a mound of mashed potatoes into an Irish stew? What would a Sunday roast be without honeyed carrots?

I so look forward to this time of year, when slow roasts and soups and braises fit the wintry clime. I do, however, grow a bit tired of the continuous barrage of heavy foods. That’s when I make the dish below. It draws out – nay, relies upon – the earthy sweetness of winter vegetables, and, though this risotto-style pasta dish forms its own starchy sauce, the clean flavors and simplicity strike a perfect balance between hearty and refreshing.



Cavatappi with Winter Root Vegetables

2 cups cavatappi or other similar pasta
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup white wine
1 carrot, peeled, large dice
1 parsnip, peeled, cored, large dice
1 swede (rutabaga) peeled, large dice
1 brown onion, fine dice
1 tbsp chopped parsley
¼ cup parmesan cheese

Heat stock to near boiling in a small pot and keep warm on low flame. In a large pot, sauté the onion in a little olive oil until it is soft and translucent, but not browned. Add uncooked pasta and toss to coat with oil. Add white wine and bring to a boil, simmer until all the wine has been absorbed. Add the carrots and enough stock to not quite cover the top of the pasta. Again simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, stirring frequently. Repeat this process until the noodles are nearly cooked.

When you judge the noodles to need one or two more additions of stock, add the parsnips and rutabaga, as these take much less time to cook than the carrots.

When the pasta is cooked it should be soft yet firm and the root vegetables should be much the same. The excess starch from the pasta will form a deliciously satisfying sauce. Season and finish with parsley and parmesan.

As an afterthought, it is worth mentioning that Shakespeare’s King Richard III does not in fact have the seasonal blues. He opens the eponymous play with the following “Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this son of York.” In other words, this former winter is now made summer and, while I’m not saying carrots and their subterranean brethren will change the weather, they sure make the cold easier to bear.