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My great-grandfather, a staunchly religious New Englander, had a love affair. He just couldn’t help himself. His beloved was oh, so tempting! Spicy … rich… buttery … sweet … and just a little bit nutty.
Who was this temptress? Believe it or not, the parsnip. My mother is fond of telling me that this humble relative of the carrot was her grandfather’s favorite vegetable.
One would never guess from its simple, rough exterior just how exquisitely flavored the parsnip is.
Upon peeling a parsnip, its strong, spicy scent is emitted immediately. If eaten raw, the taste remains true to its spicy aroma; however, cooking the parsnip mellows its flavor and the spice forward taste becomes a pleasant and subtle back note.
I just ate a bowl of mashed parsnips, prepared very simply from nothing more than the peeled, sliced vegetable simmered until tender in salted water and mashed with a little of its cooking water. Even without seasoning, it was surprisingly flavorful.
In other words, it carried its own flavor tune without the need for culinary back up music. And because of its high starch content, it was also immensely comforting.
When I think of parsnips, things such as a pastoral English countryside and Beatrix Potter characters, like Peter Rabbit and his ilk, come to mind.
This makes sense in a way.
Until the potato was introduced to Europe from the Americas, the starchy parsnip was a staple in European cuisine and used much like the potato is today.
Though not as popular a vegetable as it once was, parsnips are still featured in traditional Sunday roast dinners in the United Kingdom, as well as on Christmas tables in much of the British-influenced world.
The Irish mash them with carrots and concoct creamy soups with them, often with leeks, one of their common companions.
They’re a popular vegetable for stews, soups and purees, and – despite their wonderful flavor independent of spice – pair well with seasonings such as allspice, anise, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, thyme and sage.
The parsnip has gained some notoriety outside of European cuisine and can be found paired with – for example – Indian curries. In fact, a quick review of recipes on the Internet yielded some interesting uses for parsnips, including parsnip fritters topped with bleu cheese, parsnip-apple soup, baked cheesy parsnips and parsnip-bacon chowder.
One of my favorite ways to bring out the lovely flavor of parsnips is to roast them until they’re brown and caramelized. Roasted parsnips can be eaten in their pure form, used in a soup, or pureed for a side dish.
