Cooking: Boil

Depending on the thickness of your salsify, it will take between 20 and 45 minutes to cook, put into salted boiling water. You want it just tender so keep testing by inserting the tip of a sharp knife: it should meet no resistance. Salsify has a waxy bite and it’s better well cooked than al dente. Add a dash of lemon juice and olive oil to the water to help keep its creamy colour.

To boil in its skin, soak the salsify for a few minutes in cold water then scrub it clean and top and tail it. Cut into even lengths and place it directly into a saucepan of cold salted water. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer until tender to the point of a knife. Drain and cool in a bowl of cold water before peeling. This is a good technique for recipes that then call for frying or roasting.