Recipes from the Root Cellar

Recipes from the Root Cellar has more than 250 easy-to-follow recipes. Make root cellar recipes like Celery Root Bisque, White Lasagna with Winter Squash, and Thai Cabbage Salad.  This recipe collection will inspire you to explore the deliciously versatile world of root cellar vegetables.

 

Recipes from the Root Cellar

Sweet winter squashes, hardy greens, jewel-toned root vegetables, and potatoes of every kind make local eating easy and delicious in the colder months of autumn and winter. Whether these vegetables are gathered straight from the garden, from a well-tended root cellar, or from the market, their delectable flavors and nutritional benefits pack a powerful punch.

Try them in soups (Celery Root Bisque, Portuguese Kale Soup), main dishes (Ravioli with Smoky Greens, Chicken Pot Pie with Root Vegetables), winter salads (Warm Goat Cheese and Roasted Beet Salad, Thai Cabbage Salad), and side dishes (Cashew Carrots, Braised Collards with Bacon). With this collection of more than 250 recipes, you’ll discover how simple and delightful it is to eat locally all year long.

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• Title:  Recipes from the Root Cellar
• Subtitle: 270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables
• Author:  Andrea Chesman
• Publisher: Storey Publishing
• ISBN:  978-1-60342-545-2
• Pages:  400 (paperback)

 

About Andrea Chesman

Andrea Chesman is a food writer and author of many cookbooks, including The Garden-Fresh Vegetable Cookbook and Mom’s Best One-Dish Suppers from Storey Publishing. Her book, The Vegetarian Grill (Harvard Common Press) was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award and received a National Barbecue Association Award of Excellence. She is also the author of The Roasted Vegetable (Harvard Common Press) and 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans and Grains (Plume-Penguin), Summer in a Jar (Williamson Publishing), and Pickles and Relishes (Storey), and co-author of Mom’s Best Desserts (Storey Books) and The Classic Zucchini Cookbook (Storey Books).

Andrea Chesman was editor of Yankee Magazine Church Supper and Potluck Cookbook (Villard) and editor of and contributor to the Family Circle Good Cook’s Book (Simon & Schuster). She also edited numerous gardening books, including The Big Book of Gardening Skills (Storey). Her work has appeared in Cooking Light , Vegetarian Times , Organic Gardening , Fine Cooking , Food & Wine , The New York Times , and several other magazines and newspapers. She was a contributing editor for Vermont Life for 12 years.

Andrea Chesman lives in an historic farmhouse in Ripton, Vermont, where the poet Robert Frost boarded. She lives with her husband and two sons.

My Review of Recipes from the Root Cellar

When you go to the grocery store in January, what do you see? I see piles of pale tomatoes and extremely expensive asparagus that has been shipped in from Peru! Of course, January is not prime growing season for tomatoes and asparagus where I live. However, here in the US, we want certain foods available year round, 

If you want watermelon in December is is not going to come from this country. As a result, the carbon footprint of out of season produce is much higher. Not only it bad for our environment (shipping watermelon by plane uses a lot of fuel!), but we are ignoring the produce that IS in season in January! Oh, the poor rutabaga is being ignored!

Find Joy in Winter Vegetables!

In Recipes from the Root Cellar you will once again learn to love winter vegetables! The author does a wonderful job in the first 40 pages of introducing you to each winter veggie. There is a short description, along with tips on selection, storage, and  preparation. I learned a lot about the history of certain vegetables. I  never realized how many varieties of winter squash existed!

Winter Vegetable Recipes

• Thai Inspired Cabbage Rolls
• 25 Crock Pot Potato Recipes that are Hearty and Delicious!
• Oven Roasted Maple Glazed Carrots Recipe with Fresh Thyme

Root Cellar Recipes Galore!

The recipe section in Recipes from the Root Cellar is extensive! I love the author’s concept of ‘Eat locally, season globally”! By using local, in season produce and pairing it with ethnic seasonings and sauces there is no end to the variety of flavors you can create.

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Every type of course is represented from soups and salads to vegetarian main dishes and deserts. They range in difficulty from simple stocks to french dishes I have trouble pronouncing! There is something in here for every skill level.

If I could change one thing about Recipes from the Root Cellar it would be to add pictures. I think that the vibrant colors of the leeks and pumpkins would really stand out with glossy, full color photos. This is a wonderful cookbook and if you want to start eating a more seasonal diet, this is a great resource for winter eating.