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Now is the time to rediscover root vegetables! Their flavors and texture make them one of the perfect foods for the aircraft. As these roots, tubers and taproots are pulled from their dark resting place beneath the rich soil during the damp winter months, they become more succulent as the cold weather season progresses. Trivia tidbit . . . the cool damp temperatures convert the root starches to sugars and they naturally become sweeter. They are often referred to as dirty, ugly, knobby masses and are passed-by for another vegetable selection. What a mistake. Don’t miss the delicious savory taste-tingling treasures lurking beneath those skins coated with dirt.
As you think of adding root vegetables to your catering requests, I thought it might be helpful for me to suggest a few creative cooking methods and possible raw uses to indulge your passengers and flight crews in something that will be full of flavors, crunch, and enticing odors for them to savor with every bite. Braising As the winter cold sets in, we tend to want heartier meals such as soups, stews & meats and seafood braised in broth. Root vegetables make a fantastic flavorful accompaniment when added to the braising liquid. When braised, root vegetables become tender and bursting with flavor. Once braised, the addition of fresh herbs will complete the flavor profile. Try adding braised radishes to the menu . . . or potatoes, cabbage and carrots; and my personal winter favorite - braised roast simmered slowly with parsnips, rutabagas, onions, carrots and potatoes. Grilling If braising doesn’t appeal to you, root vegetables’ fibrous strength allows them to be char grilled causing their natural sugars to caramelize into a rich deep color and flavor. Mix them up on the grill and don’t be shy. A light spray or toss in olive oil will keep them from sticking to the grill. The crusty exterior is created as their own starches shift from starch to sugar and they become a bit sweet and nicely tender (even fluffy!) inside. Request small root vegetables cooked whole; halve or thickly slice bigger root vegetables. Think about grilled beets, either golden yellow or deep red, grilled potatoes as a change or grilled onions. You and those for whom you are ordering won’t be disappointed. Mashing Root vegetables cook to a light tenderness and work well mashed. I realize mashed potato is a mainstay for our passenger and flight crew, so try mashed sweet potato, mashed celery root, parsnips, turnips, and rutabaga or a blend of two. To prepare, peel the roots vegetable, cut into chunks, and boil until tender. Drain, salt and pepper, and mash until smooth. I add either butter, cream cheese, or even mascarpone to create a silkiness on the tongue and allows reheating without drying out. As we roast or bake meats, root vegetables can be cooked next to the meat. I love oven roasted vegetables, with their crisp browned exterior. As I bite through the crispy exterior, the tender soft interior explodes with flavor. Roasting also brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetable. Roasting Years ago, when roasted vegetables were an emerging new trend, Chef Dan introduced me to oven roasted vegetables coated with olive oil and rosemary. The options are endless for roasting; beets, fennel, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, carrots and yucca root to name a few. Frying Everyone seems to be striving for healthy menu selections. We used to have requests for a bag of chips (crisps) with a sandwich; now that request is for baked kale chips or baked vegetable chips. Their colors make the most incredible bright display next to any type sandwich. They are fun, guilt free in your passenger and flight crews’ minds since they are healthy vegetables. Whether prepared as a chip or a classic fry, you will surprise and delight your passengers. Fries do require reheating so be sure to order when there is an oven on board. Depending upon your taste root vegetables can be fried or baked. Remember to make sure the oven is in service since reheating fries in the microwave will make them soggy. The chips require no reheating, but, will become soggy if refrigerated, so request them to be packed separately. Au Gratin For those of you who want to indulge in something over the top, something delightfully delicious, request that a root vegetable prepared scalloped, creamed or even au gratin. Au gratin will be loaded with yummy cheeses and cream while scalloped will be layered with cream. I would choose either one if I had the choice for my dinner meal or a luscious side dish. For something different try a sunchoke gratin, a cabbage potato gratin, or a corn chili and sweet potato gratin - that is if you are tired of the classic potato gratin. Again, the gratin and scalloped preparation method requires reheating to indulge in the delicious taste sensation. Salads A matchstick, shredded or julienne cut of any of the root vegetable can be eaten over salad in many cases for that aviation crunch and burst of flavor so desperately needed. As part of a salad consider something new such as a Grated Raw Beet Salad with Jicama, Avocado, and Orange segments. These grated raw root vegetables can also be cooked as a hash brown/ latke. The hash brown method requires the matchsticks to be bunched together and pan fried in oil with a bit of cornstarch or other binding agent so they stay together in a small mound. These are wonderful in place of breakfast potatoes, or as a side dish. The root vegetables can be mixed for variety. Top the “hash brown” with a dollop of crème fraiche, chopped chives - even smoked salmon, or shaved filet mignon . . . and wait for the wow! This is another of my favorite preparations, but I guess you can see I love my root vegetables any way they are prepared. As I mentioned, raw or cooked root vegetables make great condiments or key ingredients for salads. I love a beet and goat cheese salad, beets are roasted and peeled, then topped with crumbled goat cheese, or pickled beets with hard cooked eggs chopped over the top. My mouth waters as I visualize the roasted root vegetables tossed while warm in a vinaigrette, absorbing all the tartness and flavors of the dressing. If you aren’t a fan of beets, request a fennel, and avocado salad, or a Jicama Persimmon and Pomegranate salad, and why not a celery root or turnip salad? Mashed carrots and parsnips are a classic combination from Ireland and the British Isles, but, I wanted to use this combination as a salad/starter. Mashed just wouldn’t work, but, what about a slightly crisp steamed version of the same combination, then spice them up with popped mustard seeds. Trivia tidbit: When mustard seeds are popped over low heat, they lose their hot, “mustardy” flavor and taste wonderfully nutty. Soups & Stews If you are aware of my passion for soups and stews, you shouldn’t be surprised when I suggest you ask your catering source what root vegetable soups might be available. Root vegetables add flavor, nutrition, and bulk to soups and stews. They can be a chunky ingredient, a shredded ingredient that melts into the soup, or pureed for a smooth soup. Smooth soups are traditionally made with tender cooked vegetables and then enriched with cream, with sour cream, crème fraiche, yogurt, buttermilk, or a combination of any of the above. Carrot is a popular ingredient for smooth soups, adding another root to change up the flavor. Carrot and ginger, carrot and sunchoke, carrot and sweet potato. Your catering source will have something regional ready when you call . . . maybe a braised celery root with chickpeas and saffron soup. Be Brave Step outside your comfort zone; surprise your passengers and flight crew with new and super healthy vegetables. Try something different in your catering selections. There are numerous root vegetables to try out. They are part of a very broad and flavorful category which is used across the culinary spectrum to enhance the flavors, textures and presentations of all types of dishes and courses of meal service. I found this chart of the most common root vegetables to get you started . . . enjoy!
Let me introduce myself . . . My name is Paula Kraft and I am founder and President of Tastefully Yours Catering, an aviation specific caterer, located in Atlanta, Georgia for over 35 years.
Currently I am an active member of the NBAA Flight Attendant Committee Advisory Board and the NBAA International Flight Attendant Committee, Women in Corporate Aviation, Women in Aviation International, National Association of Catering Executives, International Flight Catering Association, the International Food Service Association and the International Caterer’s Association. I have coordinated training programs and clinics for NBAA, EBAA and BA-Meetup conference attendees for over 10 years, created mentoring programs for caterers and flight attendants to broaden their aviation culinary skills, and to assist them in adapting to the unique challenges and constraints found in catering for general aviation. I recognize the need for training and have worked closely with flight departments, flight crews, schedulers and customer service reps at the FBOs to ensure that catering specific training provides information and skills necessary to reduce risk while assisting them in their job duties that include safe food handling, catering security, accurate transmission of food orders, and safe food production, packaging and delivery. I fell into aviation catering quite by accident. I was the in-house caterer and bakery supplier for Macy’s department stores in Atlanta when catering was ordered for a Macy’s customer which was soon to change my life. After the client enjoyed the catering provided, I was summoned to the client’s corporate office to provide several of the items delivered through Macy’s to the executive dining room. Within a week, I was providing food for the flight department and my first order was for the President of a foreign country (as I was too be told soon after). So, here I am, some 35 years later, still loving every minute of every day in aviation catering.
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