Health Winter vegetables Parsley root is not only suitable as a soup spice

Parsley root is a typical winter vegetable and ideal for stews and fine cream soups. Because the parsley taste is preserved while cooking. The rather inconspicuous roots have much more to offer. Gourmets glaze it in honey, taste it with white wine and hand it to game and poultry. For a delicious puree, cook the vegetables with potatoes in a little liquid for 15 minutes, half salt water and half milk each. Then add butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg and crush. Also in the risotto, from the wok, baked with parmesan and grated in a winter salad, the delicate roots are a delight. The leaves can be chopped and sprinkled over the dish for a fine spice.

The aroma is due to the essential oils that help digestion and kidney activity. In addition, the parsley root supplies the body with vitamin C, provitamin A, B vitamins and the minerals potassium, calcium and iron.

Healthy parsley root (Petroselinum crispum subsp. Tuberosum) .Image: MP2 - fotolia

The parsley root belongs botanically to the family of the umbels and is closely related to the leaf parsley. Originally from the Mediterranean, it has been known since ancient times as a spice and medicinal plant. The parsley root is yellowish on the outside with darker stripes and white inside. She looks the parsnip confusingly similar, but is elongated and runs forward sharply. The parsnip has a thicker headboard and is up to 40 centimeters larger than the parsley root with a maximum of 20 centimeters in length.

Parsley root is found directly at the grower, at the weekly market, but also in well-stocked supermarkets. The roots should be firm, smooth and crisp with fresh green, with smaller specimens being particularly tender. In the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator parsley roots, wrapped in a damp cloth, hold two to three weeks. Before preparation, they are brushed, washed and peeled with a peeler similar to the carrot. Remove the ends and, depending on the recipe, cut them into slices, pens or cubes. (Heike Kreutz, aid)