Ode to parsnips

I love parsnips! I feel they are a very underutilized but delicious vegetable. My appreciation is at its peak in the winter, after the rest of the garden has grown soggy from frost, when there's no sign above ground, but when you know where they are........yum, so sweet! Rather like their relation the carrot with a flavor more complex.....

In my last garden (and hopefully  in my new garden!) parsnips had naturalized. That is to say they went wild. Every year I allow a few beauties to go to seed, and to fully ripen those seeds. They were huge, topping out at 6 to 7 ft. When the seed ripened I collected a bunch but I also fairy planted plenty more. That's what I call it when you take a stalk of ripened seeds and pretend it is your magic wand....Well, its not really pretending....food plants magically appear in your path! The food quality has not diminished, though I do have to thin plants. That's okay with me though, I'd rather eat the baby parsnip thinnings that to till and hoe the garden patch!

Try them in any dish calling for carrots. For maximum enjoyment avoid old woody parsnips and old limp ones that have travelled too far and lived in the fridge too long.

If you want a vegan dish using parsnips I recommend oven roasting them with onions (parsnips and onions definitely complement each other!) Simply drizzle with olive oil , salt and pepper and bake until very tender. Fresh rosemary is a nice addition here as well.

Baking root veggies until the sugars are caramelizing makes for melt in your mouth deliciousness.

This is a very simple dish that is warming and richly satisfying on a winter night!


Parsnips Au Gratin

6-8 medium sized parsnips
2 small onions
1 ½ cups milk
1 T butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1 T fresh rosemary leaves
top with ½ cup grated mild cheese

I like to roll cut my parsnips to make irregularly shaped chunks. If you cut them too small they will cook too quickly. Slice the onions into crescent shapes. These will flavor this dish but melt away to be almost unidentifiable in the finished dish.
Put the chopped veggies in a baking dish, pour the milk over the veggies. Top with the butter cut into smaller chunks. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and fresh rosemary leaves.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Top with cheese and bake 15 minutes more.