3327. GRILLED SALSIFY, CORN and BACON HUSH PUPPY with SALSIFY HONEY BUTTER DIPPING SAUCE

yields 4 servings


2 stalks salsify, peeled and sliced in half

1 ear corn, shucked
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
Peanut oil, for frying 

Salsify Honey Butter Dipping Sauce:

4 salsify stalks
1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sriracha
1 tablespoon cayenne
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Dipping sauce: Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Break the salsify stalks in half to release the milk inside, and boil for 10 minutes. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Take 1 cup of salsify stock and pour into another saucepan. Then add the honey, butter, sriracha, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Bring back to a boil and simmer for another 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Hush puppies: Preheat the grill to high.

In a large bowl, toss the salsify and corn with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Add the salsify and corn to the grill, grilling on all sides until the salsify is fork tender and the corn looks charred. Remove from the grill.

Slice the corn kernels off the cob into a bowl. Chop the salsify into small cubes. Add to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

In another bowl, mix the buttermilk with the egg. Add to the salsify and corn, mixing to incorporate. Add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and bacon. Mix together to form a thick batter.

Heat enough peanut oil to fry in a Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet to 350 degrees F. Drop golf ball size balls of batter in the oil, cooking until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove from the fryer, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with dipping sauce. 


bacon recipe source: Chad Rosenthal, "A Star Is Chopped," Food Network Star, Food Network

2894. SALSIFY and BRUSSELS SPROUTS with BACON and LEMON CREAM

serves 4-6 


2 tablespoons grass-fed butter 
2 lbs Brussels sprouts, quartered
2 cups salsify root, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias (diagonal) 
1/2 cup shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced 
4 strips uncooked bacon, chopped 
1/2 cup broth (or water) 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup) 
1/2 cup organic sour cream
pinch salt 

In a large skillet heat butter over medium flame. Add butter and melt. Add sliced salsify to the pan and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until becoming slightly browned. Add bacon and shallots to the pan. Cook 5 more minutes until the bacon begins to get about halfway "done." Add the Brussels sprouts and garlic and saute 2-3 more minutes to brown edges.  

Add broth and salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cover and turn to low; let simmer 5-10 more minutes until sprouts begin to soften and the liquid has reduced by at least half. 

While the veggie mixture is cooking, whisk the lemon juice, sour cream and pinch of salt together in a small bowl.

Add the lemon cream to the pan and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook 2-3 more minutes to let the sauce heat and thicken. Serve hot, garnished with a pinch of red pepper flakes.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Laura, Rising Moon Food, Portland, Oregon, January 14, 2013

2726. PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST with GNOCCHI, SALSIFY, BRUSSEL SPROUTS, HOUSE-CURED BACON and RED WINE REDUCTION

yields 2-4 servings


2 duck breasts
4-6 salsify (if unavailable, use parsnips)
1 lemon
8 Brussels sprouts
2 slices thick-cut bacon (house cured preferably)
1 cup duck or chicken stock (home-made if possible)
1/2 cup red wine (merlot works well)
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
5 ounces butter (divided into: 2 ounces, 2 ounces, 1 ounce)
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup water (plus 1 gallon for boiling)
2 eggs
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch flat-leaf Italian parsley

Bring 1 gallon of water to boil in a pot, preheat an oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chop 1 tablespoon of parsley and 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme. Boil 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pot with fresh herbs, add a pinch of salt, 2 ounces of butter and wait for it to melt. Add flours and cook for 2 minutes, transfer to a kitchen aid mixer with paddle attachment. Mix for 1 minute, add eggs, mix 1 more minute until smooth. Transfer batter to a pastry bag and pipe long lines onto a sheet pan dusted with flour. Cut gnocchi into 1 inch pieces. Cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until doubled in size. Drain, cool under cold water and reserve.

Score diagonally across the breasts (hatch marks) making sure not to penetrate into the meat, only the skin and season breasts with salt and pepper and place skin side down in a oven safe skillet. Render fat and crisp skin over med-low heat, about 10-15 minutes. Remove fat from the pan twice during this process. Reserve. Throw in 5 sprigs of fresh thyme and place in the oven to finish cooking (about 4 minutes for medium temp, and 10 minutes for well done). Remove from the oven and flip breasts over to briefly cook the other side, about 1 minute. Remove and let duck rest for 10 minutes.

Cut bacon in to cubes and render in a skillet until browned. Remove and save for garnish.

Peel salsify and place in water with the squeezed lemon until ready to cut. Thinly slice the salsify on a mandolin and sauté pan with reserved duck fat until cooked, but still crisp, remove and reserve.

Blanch Brussels sprouts in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and shock in ice water. Peel outer leaves and reserve, discard the centers.

Reduce red wine and sherry vinegar in a sauce pot until glossy, add duck stock reduce again until slightly thickened, add butter last minute, season with salt, reserve.

Heat a sauté pan over med-high heat and add 1 ounce of butter. Sauté gnocchi until browned on all sides. Add salsify and Brussels in the sauté pan with a splash of chicken stock, season and reduce until no liquid remains. Slice duck breast into 1/4 inch pieces and plate with vegetables and gnocchi. Pour sauce around.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Joel Gargano, Rocco's Dinner Party, Season 1, Episode 2 (Signature Dish, Winner), Bravo TV

2458. OYSTER, OYSTER MUSHROOM and SALSIFY DRESSING with BACON

makes ten servings


1/2 cup bacon, cut into 1/4" strips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 large onions, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups washed oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces
4 cups shucked oysters with their liquor
3 cups peeled salsify or parsnips, cut into 1" pieces, boiled until tender
2—3 cups low-salt chicken broth or turkey stock
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup oyster sauce
16 cups stale, plain French baguette, cubed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves
3 tablespoons chopped chives

Butter a 9x13x2" baking dish and set aside. Cook bacon in a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is cooked but not browned. Add 2 Tbsp. butter and the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Transfer bacon mixture to a bowl.

Return skillet to medium heat; add the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter and oil. Add oyster mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add oysters, salsify, broth, heavy cream, and oyster sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer.

Preheat oven to 375°. Put bread in a large bowl. Add reserved bacon mixture and mushroom mixture from skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper and fold in lemon juice, tarragon, and chives. The bread should be quite wet, but there should be no pooling liquid once it's well mixed. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake until browned and crisp, about 45 minutes.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Anita Lo, Annisa, 13 Barrow Street, New York, New York 10014 | Bon Appetit, November 2011

887. LIGHT & CREAMY OYSTER CHOWDER with BACON and SALSIFY

makes 6 1/2 cups


juice of 1 lemon
3/4 pound salsify or Jerusalem artichokes
1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 large white onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups clam juice
1 cup water
4 thyme sprigs
1 cup heavy cream
2 dozen freshly shucked oysters, oyster liquor reserved
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley


Fill a medium bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice. Peel the salsify and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Add the salsify to the lemon water.

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain; reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the saucepan.

Add the onion to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain the salsify. Add it to the saucepan and season with salt and black pepper. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the salsify is almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add the wine to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the clam juice, water and thyme. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat until the salsify is tender, about 10 minutes longer.

Add the cream, oysters, oyster liquor and cayenne and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the oysters are just cooked through. Discard the thyme sprigs. Season the chowder with salt and black pepper and ladle into warmed bowls. Top with the bacon and parsley and serve.


courtesy of: Mary Ellen Carroll and Donna Wingate, "Extreme Entertaining," Food & Wine, March 2006

773. BRAISED OXTAIL with CEPES, SALSIFY, BACON and BEEF MARROWBONE

serves eight


8 medium-large pieces oxtail
3 tablespoons plain flour
Sea salt and pepper
150ml vegetable oil
60 grams butter
30 button onions, peeled
100 grams smoked bacon, cut into lardons
500 grams fresh cèpes, sliced lengthways
Small bunch thyme
1 bottle red wine
1 liter white chicken stock
10 sticks salsify
8 pieces bone marrow, 7.5cm tall

Season the oxtail and lightly flour, using 2tbs of flour.

Place a large casserole on to a medium heat and add the oil then the oxtail and colour all over, turning the oxtail on all sides every few minutes until golden brown. This should take no more than 10 minutes.

Remove oxtail from the pan and place on a tray. Add 25g butter then add the peeled button onions and lardons together and cook for 4-5 minutes on a low to medium heat until nicely golden. Remove and put on to the tray. Add another 10g butter to the pan and, when almost golden, add the cèpes and turn the heat up a little so they colour well. Season, and when evenly coloured all over, return the onions and bacon to the pan. After a few minutes add three-quarters of the thyme and the rest of the flour and cook for a couple of minutes more. Add the red wine and 750ml of the chicken stock. Return the oxtail to the pan, bring to a simmer and skim off any scum. Put into a 170°C oven for two hours - or longer - until the meat comes away from the bone.

Meanwhile, peel the salsify, wash and cut into 4-5cm batons. Place a sauté pan on a medium heat with the rest of the butter. Add the salsify and remaining thyme and a little seasoning. Move around the pan for 10 minutes until golden brown. Add the rest of the chicken stock and cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes so the stock will reduce slowly and glaze the salsify at the same time. Put the marrowbone into the oven for the last 20 minutes with a little sea salt on it.

To serve, put a piece of oxtail at the front of each plate with the sauce and bacon over it and the bone marrow behind.


courtesy of: Tom Aikens Cooking, by Tom Aikens. Ebury Press, 2005

454. ROASTED ELK TENDERLOIN with BACON-WRAPPED SALSIFY, JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES, and CREAMY WILD MUSHROOM SAUCE

yields 4 servings


4 cups water
4 cups whole milk
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
16 stalks salsify, peeled
16 slices smoked bacon
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, divided
2 pounds elk tenderloin, completely cleaned
6 Jerusalem artichokes, peeled sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
1-ounce diced shallots
4 ounces baby arugula
Mushroom Sauce, recipe follows
Chopped chives, for garnish

In a large saucepan or stockpot, combine 4 cups water with the milk, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and then poach peeled salsify; cook just until the salsify is soft, but not mushy. Remove the salsify from the poaching liquid, and refrigerate. Once the salsify is cooled, wrap 1 slice of bacon around each stalk of salsify.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roast the bacon wrapped salsify in the oven until the bacon browns slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium ovenproof skillet, melt 1/2 stick butter over medium-high heat. Add elk tenderloin to hot pan and sear until browned on both sides, and then transfer pan to oven and roast until cooked to desired doneness. (Be careful, as elk tenderloin cooks quickly.)

In a medium skillet, melt 1/2 stick butter over medium-high heat. Add Jerusalem artichokes and saute until the edges turn slightly brown. Then add shallots and saute for 1 minute more. Add arugula and remove from heat.

In the center of the plate, make a circle of wild mushroom sauce. Place the salsify on top of the sauce, and the artichoke-arugula mixture on top of the salsify. Slice the elk tenderloin and place on top of the artichoke-arugula mixture. Garnish with chives.

Mushroom Sauce:
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned
3 ounces diced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
2 ounces foie gras, optional
Salt and pepper

Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms and saute over high heat until browned. When mushrooms have browned, add 3 ounces diced shallots and the thyme. Cook mixture for 2 minutes more and then add cream. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the cream has reduced by half. Next, pour mixture into blender*, add sherry vinegar and foie gras, if using, and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE:When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.


courtesy of: Chef Warren Schwartz, Saddle Peak Lodge, Calabasas, California