Pick up a Parsnip: It's very Now

Parsnips are the Rodney Dangerfield of vegetables: they get no respect. Probably because for all the centuries until Columbus' New World edibles Eureka (potatoes, beans, squash, tomatoes etc) they were the only vegetable the Brits and Celts had to eat. They're still considered poor man's food. That doesn't mean they're not tasty. I discovered parsnips in Morocco during a December, piled high along the roadways for sale, and thought they were some kind of white carrot. Then I tasted some sauteed in cumin and olive oil and went berserk. I've been hooked ever since. (They are one of the seven vegetables in the legendary couscous with seven vegetables.)

The odd and wonderful peculiarity of parsnips is that even though they are fully grown by late fall and often harvested at that time, many are  left in the ground over the winter. They not only survive but thrive. Freezing brings out their sugar and makes them sweeter than those harvested in autumn. So as ground thaws, you're bound to see parsnips piling up in markets. And you should feel bound to buy some to enjoy. Your reward is potassium, folic acid and fiber. Those first two are hard to come by so parsnips are a nutritional treasure.

Here's what to do (in addition to couscous with seven vegetables) to celebrate the spring harvest when you get some:

My Basic Sauteed Parsnips with Cumin
This has been my go-to parsnip dish for decades, my iteration of that long ago Moroccan eye-opener. If you buy bigger parsnips an inch or more in diameter and slice them very very thin, you can get "chips." These are a great side dish for omelets, roast chicken and lamb chops. They're an excellent vegetable addition to a dhal bhat meal. Vegan to the max.

1 parsnip per person
1/4 tsp cumin per parsnip
Sea salt to your taste
Olive oil to fully cover 1/8"  the bottom of a frying pan/skillet.
handful of chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Peel the parsnips, wash and dry thoroughly. Slice into thin disks.
Heat the oil in the skillet/frying pan over medium high heat.
Add the parsnips, stirring to coat with the oil. Add the cumin.
Lower heat to medium and stirring so they don't stick, sauté until soft. Flip them once to get both sides browned. This should take 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of those disks.
Remove the parsnips with a slotted spatula or spoon to a serving bowl. Season with salt and garnish with the chopped cilantro. Serve hot.

Here's an upscale variation on that Moroccan theme. Without the accompanying yogurt, it's vegan.
Parsnips with Dates

Serves 10

3/4 c plus 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, smashed

3 lbs parsnips, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick

12-14 pitted Medjool dates, sliced in half then half again

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Optional to serve:

1 c plain Greek yogurt

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp ground sumac

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a large skillet, over medium/low heat 3/4 c olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté until garlic is golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove it. Add half of the parsnips to the skillet 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 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 just until the parsnips are tender and the dates are 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 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt. Serve side by side with the roasted parsnips to be spooned over.

Parsnip Paté (a "hummus")
Something a bit different if you have great flatbread or pita to show off.

For the vinaigrette

2 tbsp cumin   

¼ c lemon juice         

½ c olive oil    
For the parsnip hummus

3 c parsnip purée (8 parsnips, peeled, chopped, boiled in salted water til tender, drained)   
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped          

½ c pine nuts, toasted in butter           

1 c brown butter

1 c Tahini

pinch of sea salt

¼ c cooked/canned chickpeas, well drained, for garnish

For the vinaigrette: Whisk together the cumin, lemon juice, and olive oil. Set aside.

Blend the parsnip purée with chopped garlic, salt, pine nuts, tahini, and brown butter.

Put in a serving bowl and garnish the top with the chickpeas.

Lightly pour over the vinaigrette.

Parsnip Chickpea Soup

A pinch of saffron anoints the parsnips to royalty here in this creamy, hearty soup. i posted it earlier in my chickpea collection posts but it's so easy and tasty, it's worth repeating. 

Serves 4
½ lb parsnips, peeled and thinly diced
3 c chicken or vegetable stock
1 can chickpeas, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
A good pinch of saffron
2 tbsp milk
½ c heavy cream cream
Chopped fresh chives

 In a large saucepan or small soup pot, boil the parsnips in the chicken stock until tender, then add the chickpeas and cook 2-3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the ground cumin.

Soak the saffron in the milk for a minute or two.

Blend/process the soup to puree. Return the soup to the pot, then add the saffron milk and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer.

Add the cream. Simmer for 5 minutes being careful not to boil and ruin the cream. Serve garnished with the chopped chives sprinkled on top.

Mashed Parsnips with Brussels Sprouts

This is a British recipe.

Serves 6
 

For the parsnips

2 lbs parsnips
2+ tbsp. butter
1/3 c heavy cream (or nonsweetened evaporated milk for less calories)
1 lb Brussels sprouts
¼ c olive oil
2 butter
6 cloves garlic, peeled

pinch smoked paprika
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp honey

Salt to your taste

Preheat the oven to 375º. Peel the parsnips, cut into a few pieces and submerge in lightly salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until soft enough to mash. Trim and halve the Brussels sprouts and put them into a bowl with olive oil, 2 tbsp butter, garlic, smoked paprika and thyme. Blend carefully. Put the bowl contents in a roasting pan and bake 35 minutes, till the sprouts are golden brown and soft. Stir/toss the sprouts twice as they roast to be sure they stay coated in the sauce and don’t dry out.

Drain and mash the parsnips. Whip in the butter and cream and beat till smooth. (You can do this in a blender or processor.) Arrange on a serving dish, level and smooth. Remove the sprouts and garlic from the oven and trickle honey over them. Toss gently and spoon on top of the parsnip puree. Season with sea salt to your taste.

Parsnip Chowder

A soul warmer for those rainy April days. (Sorry no photo)

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.

And finally, you can boil and mash up a parsnip or two when you boil up potatoes to make mashed potatoes, thereby making mashed potatoes with parsnip: very flavorful and not so caloric as full blown mashed potatoes. You can also layer parsnips with potatoes to make a gratin, or layer them with potatoes and rutabagas to make a richer more flavorful gratin. These are winter dishes for autumn harvested parsnips.