Veggie Treasures

Last Saturday, Mike braved the cold winter weather to grace a fellowship meeting he had promised a friend he'd attend . When it was over, he phoned me and said, “I'll be home soon, I'm just doing my rounds at Union Square, ” then he added, “ I bought something for you. I know you'll like it,!”

I was fiddling on my computer, wondering what he was bringing home this time. Godiva chocolates or Lindt? Maybe a bottle of Merlot or Cabarnet Sauvignon with some Brie to go with it. Am not into jewelry but I could use a beady bib to match my dress. Or probably just long stem roses, simple token for a meaningful surprise.

So when the door opened and Mike walked in, I was anxiously awaiting my surprise. He was carrying a plastic bag and was soon revealing its contents. Slowly he pulled out a clear plastic containing loose leaves, then another bag of colored potatoes, the third was a small ginger look alike and finally a big pathetic looking wrinkled jicama that has seen better days.

My smile froze and my emotions were running haywire. Was I suppose to be happy he brought me vegetables? Am I a horse needing grass to feed on? Should I string those colored potatoes and form it into a necklace? One by one, Mike revealed his find, and just like an enthusiastic schoolboy finding treasure from a field, he enumerated his gems. The leaves were called mache's and they grow only in the winter, the fingerlings were actually Jerusalem artichokes, the wrinkled root was a celeriac and finally he just had to buy those cute colored potatoes because it would look good when he eats them with his steak. He presented his valuables to me and said, “here, you're suppose to be a foodie, go make something out of this.”

I swear that if I was in the show, “CHOPPED”, Ted Allen would have my head on the chopping block in no time. What do you do with ingredients you're not familiar with. Invent? And hope they come out good? Thank God for laptops and google! I just had to check what they were.

A mache rosettes also known as 'little sweet one' originally came from France. The settlers brought it and now is known as corn salad, field salad or lamb's lettuce. It is sweet and nutty and has a green vibrant color.

The celeriac has a distinct taste of a celery but looks more like 'turnip-root, thus the name. It is mostly used o flavor stews although it can be eaten raw. It is rather hard to peel and unlike root crops that has lots of starch in them, this veggie only contains 5%to6% starch by weight.

The fingerlings, I realized were Jerusalem artichokes but has no relation to Jerusalem nor does it belong to any artichoke family. It was cultivated by native Americans and when a French explorer tasted the tuber, it's flavor resembled that of an artichoke.

The purple potatoes are really purple---and they're not ube or purple yams...there are so many different kinds of potatoes and each potato has its distinct characteristics. Just like the reds are better at salads than the whites or yellows are good for mashed dishes. Gratins are always safe.

Having known all these, my imagination ran wild into how I would cook and present all my husband's finds into masterpieces. My enthusiasm ignited and my adrenalin started to kick in.....then I realized, my hubby knows his woman!!!!And he was right, I did enjoy my surprise after all.