Parsnips are perfect for now

Parsnips don't get much respect, which is a shame, because they're delicious, cheap, versatile and the perfect food for this minute. Those "white carrots"--which is what I mistook them for when I first saw them in Morocco decades ago-- have the stamina of actual carrots; they hold up a long time in the fridge. Like carrots, they can be harvested in autumn but many farmers' choose instead to leave them in the ground because frost is thought to enhance their sugar, and thus sweeten them for the cook. So they become a Spring vegetable. 

Parsnips lost popularity because during the Middle Ages in Northern Europe, they were among the only vegetables available, and often the sustenance of the lowly. Then Columbus discovered America and the potato, the tomato, corn, pumpkins and other winter squashes, along with a host of beans. With this exquisite bounty to choose from, parsnips got cast aside as pariahs.        

They're back and available everywhere, especially in colder climates. If you haven't yet appreciated this tasty root and put it in your repertoire, now is the time. Here are a few recipes that showcase what it can do for you in addition to enhancing beef stews and root vegetable mixes.

Mashed parsnips with roasted Brussels sprouts

Mashed parsnips are a tasty and less starchy alternative to mashed potatoes and just as easy to prepare. In this British recipe, they're spread out to become the base for a mess of roasted Brussels sprouts topped with sweet drizzles of honey. The mix of flavors is dazzling. You can serve this with a roasted chicken or broiled steak or pork chops. if you are vegetarian, you can serve it with alone with good flat bread and cheese, or with a grain like rice or quinoa or farro if you're not gluten-free. And if when mashing the parsnips, you substitute olive oil for butter and milk/cream, this becomes a vegan feast. (I am personally prejudiced against vegan food that pretends to be something else concocted with weird ingredients, especially when you can do something normal like this.) And in the photo, the sprouts weren't halved.

Serves 6

2 lbs parsnips 

1 tsp ground cumin
2+ tbsp. butter
1/3 c heavy cream (or nonsweetened evaporated milk for less calories)

1 lb Brussels sprouts 

1/3 c olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled

pinch smoked paprika
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp honey

Salt to your taste

Heat the oven to 425º. 
Peel the parsnips, cut into chunks no bigger than a golf ball, and submerge in lightly salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until soft enough to mash. 
Trim and halve the Brussels sprouts. Put them in a bowl with olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, thyme and a pinch of salt. Blend carefully. Put the bowl contents on a roasting pan and bake 15-20 minutes until the sprouts are golden brown and soft. Stir/toss the sprouts at least once  as they roast to be sure they don’t dry out.

Drain (really well) the parsnips. Mash them or use an immersion blender to whip mash them. With an immersion blender or in a food processor, whip in the butter and cream, and beat until smooth. Arrange the mashed parsnips evenly and level on a serving dish. Arrange the Brussels sprouts on top and drizzle trickle honey over them. Season with sea salt to your taste.


Parsnip chowder

This comforting milk based soup is a very tasty alternative to fish chowder for vegetarians and to corn chowder for those who don't want to use canned corn. 

Serves 4-5

3 lg parsnips, peeled and washed
1/3-1/2 lb. mushrooms, cleaned
½ sm roasted red pepper, chopped, or 1 tbsp chopped pimentos
1 sm onion, peeled and diced
1 lg shallot, peeled and diced
1 tsp. cumin seed
½ tsp. celery seed
½ tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. ground cumin
4 tbsp. butter (1/2 stick)
3 c vegetable broth or water
1 12oz can evaporated milk
½ c half ‘n’ half or light cream
½ tsp. salt (more to your taste)
Freshly ground black pepper to your taste
½ c cracker crumbs or crumbled croutons
¼ c finely chopped fresh flat parsley leaves

Slice the peeled parsnips into thin disks. Cut the larger disks in half so all pieces are close in size for better cooking. Chop mushrooms.
 
In a medium size, heavy gauge pot, melt 3 tbsp. butter. Add onion, shallot, mushrooms, cumin and celery seed. Stir to blend and sauté until vegetables are soft. Add parsnips, ground coriander and cumin. Stir to blend and sauté 60 seconds. Cover the pot contents with broth or water, bring to a boil, cover the pot and lower heat. Simmer 10-12 minutes until parsnips are tender but not mushy. Add liquid if necessary so there is always some even with the top of the vegetables. Stir in the evaporated milk and half ‘n’ half, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until soup is hot. Do not boil. Stir in 1 tbsp butter, the crumbs and parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.

Parsnips with dates

Here is a snappy and unusual side dish for whatever meat you're cooking, or the perfect pairing with rice and dal. The sweet dates set of the pungent parsnips in what's a wild flavor ride.     
Serves 5
 
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 lbs parsnips, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1/2" thick
1 tsp ground cumin
7 pitted Medjool dates, sliced in half then half again
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional to serve:
1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground sumac 
  
Heat the oven to 350°.
In a large skillet, over medium/low, heat all but 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté until garlic is golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic. Add half the parsnips and half the cumin and cook stirring occasionally, until golden and just starting to soften, about 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the parsnips to a roasting pan. Repeat with the remaining parsnips. This final time, put the parsnips and any oil left in the skillet into the roasting pan. Add the dates and oregano, season with salt and pepper. Roast at 350º just until the parsnips are tender and the dates slightly caramelized—8-10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.

Optional to serve:
In a bowl, whisk the yogurt with the lemon juice, sumac and the remaining tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt. Serve side by side with the roasted parsnips as an optional sauce.

Parsnip and bacon cakes
I like to think of these as the British/Irish version of the Roman potato and pancetta/salami cakes. The pancakes are very soft so they need a bit of handing care in the fry pan, but I find if you're having trouble, you can add breadcrumbs to stiffen the mixture and carry on. These make a great companion for eggs at brunch or can be a meal in themselves.   
serves 4

2 1/2 lbs parsnips, peeled and cut into pieces
2 tsp ground cumin
1/3 lb smoked bacon
1 tbsp cooking oil (olive, corn, canola) 
Corn or canola or peanut oil for frying
1-2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the chopped up parsnips and ground cumn in a pot filled 1/4 up their depth with salted water. You are going to steam instead of boil them. Bring the water to a boil, lower heat to low, cover the pot and simmer 25 minutes until the parsnips are very soft. Check at twice to be sure there is water in the pot.

While they steam, chop the bacon into small shreds and fry it in a shallow pan until it's slightly crisp. Remove from the fat.

Scoop the parsnips from the pot, without any of the steam water. With a potato masher, an immersion blender or in a food processor, mash them. Add the cooked bacon, chives and 1 tbsp oil. Season with pepper. (If the bacon is salty don't add salt, but taste to see if you need to.)  Shape into 8 "cakes"--if this is hard because the mash is too soft, add some breadcrumbs to help you. Refrigerate the cakes 30 minutes to stiffen them.

Heat a thin layer of frying oil in a large shallow frying pan. Fry the parsnip cakes, as many as will fit in one layer without touching, until the underside is slightly crisp. Flip them over and brown the other side. Serve hot. 

You can make these more decorative on the plate but putting a bed of sauteed spinach, pea shoots or kale underneath.        
  
Parsnip Gratin

This is comfort food for a rainy April day, warming the kitchen, the soul and the stomach. It's a vegetarian dish but you can add a layer or two of baked smoked ham if you want meatiness.
serves 6

1 ½-3/4 lb parsnips, peeled
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
1 tbsp butter
½ c heavy cream
½ c creme fraiche
1 c whole milk
1/4 c grated Gruyere cheese
6 sprigs thyme, leaves picked, or 1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
75g ground almonds
1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive (or rapeseed) oil, to drizzle 
optional: thin slices smoked ham

Heat the oven 400º. Thinly as possible slice 2/3 of the peeled parsnip (use a mandoline, if you have one) and coarsely grate the rest. Slice the apples into thin rings. Rub both cut sides of the garlic around a medium-sized baking dish, then smear the dish all over with the butter. Arrange the parsnip slices in rows over the base of the dish, overlapping slightly. Alternate the rows with rows of apple and rows of ham if you are adding it. Once you’ve used up all the sliced parsnips, scatter the grated ones on top.

In a bowl, whisk the heavy cream, creme fraiche, milk, grated Gruyere and thyme leaves, then season with 1 tsp salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Pour this over the filled pan, making sure everything is slightly submerged. Sprinkle the ground almonds over the top. Drizzle with oil, cover the dish with foil and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, lower the oven to 350º and bake another 30 minutes until the cream has been absorbed, the top is golden and the parsnips are tender. 

  
You can serve this beside roasted meat or as a vegetarian main dish.