13 April 08
Rediscoverng the Parsnip
My father loved parsnips. To me they were an unnecessary white vegetable at Christmas, competing with the brussels sprouts my mother had me peel and cut crosses in the base of, sweet potatoes or yams, white potatoes, gravy, and turkey. (We didn’t really do Thanksgiving in Madrid: it was a school night.)
I tried growing them this year, and a row of them sits outside. I pulled up a bunch this morning, and sautéed them with brussels sprouts (cut in half, not with a cross) in olive oil, till they both caramelized in the pan. It was delicious.
Our high temperatures over the past couple of days make me want to fill the garden with summer vegetables, but it can still get cold enough to make that a bad idea. The parsnips and snap peas will need to be eaten soon, though…
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Mmmm parsnips… homegrown parsnips have so much more flavour.
I slice parsnips into squares and then roast them in olive oil in the oven and they turn sweet this way too — with the added benefit that they can just cook away without my having to tend the stove.
One of these days I would love to come up to your neck of the woods for brief gardening lesson! It’s time to grow things in my patch of earth.
Maria: My sister roasts sweet potatoes this way too (well, thin slices, not squares; they get brown and crispy in the broiler…)
Please do come up here, but best before it gets too hot! I’d love to see you.