As I said, it went out of fashion in Germany and only had its revival a few decades ago, when people became more interested in a more ecological approach to agriculture, and in bringing back some of the older sorts of cereal, fruit and vegetable as well as cow and pig races.
And if it had not been for my sister serving a very delicious vegetable stew on her birthday, parsnips included, I would have probably kept walking past them in the vegetable section of my favourite supermarket (Aldi).
Since then, though, I have cooked parsnips a few times and was always happy with the outcome. It can be eaten raw, like carrots, but is tastier when boiled or fried or cooked in the oven. I sometimes combine it with carrots and potatoes, all roasted together in the oven, to accompany a nice piece of meat for Sunday dinner when RJ is here. And last week, I had these leftovers and decided to cook them for myself when I had a home office day:
It is a very easy and quick meal, ready in 20 minutes (given you dice the potatoes small enough) and very nutrituous. All I did was peeling and dicing the vegetables, putting a tiny bit of olive oil in a pan, then the diced spuds, carrots and parsnips and added some water, just so that the pieces of veg were barely covered, then closed the lid and let the water boil and do its work.
When it looked more or less ready, I added salt, pepper, some ginger and dried herbs, and left it on the stove for a few more minutes.
The result was this - the blur in the picture has nothing to do with my camera, it was the steam rising from the plate.
Did you know that parsnip contains 4 times as much vitamin C, calium and proteins as carrots? I truly am grateful for my sister to have inspired me to use this lovely vegetable in my kitchen.
Hello Meike:
ReplyDeleteYour 'parsnip' dish looks to be most appetising and we are certain was delicious to eat.
Roasted parsnips, served with roasted meat, our one of our all time favourite ways of eating them. Incidentally, we have never tried them raw, although quite often eat raw carrot.
They are alright raw, maybe not as nice as raw carrot. I've heard people slice them very thinly and roast and salt them like crisps, but have not tried that yet myself.
DeleteI sometimes buy a "pack" of soup vegetables which includes parsnip together with carrots and leek and root celery. I add minced meat and potatoes and stock and spices, cook a big pot full and get several portions to freeze, easy to heat up quickly in either the microwave or in a pot on the stove.
ReplyDeleteSounds great, Monica, especially in winter. I love soups and stews!
DeleteThat looks like something right up my alley. I've only tried parsnip once.
ReplyDeleteHello Lisa, I think this is the first time I see you on my blog. Welcome, and thank you for commenting!
DeleteI love parsnips! I love to eat them and I love that they are sweeter if left in the ground past the first good frost. This looks like a great dinner. I should try it -especially for my vegetarian son.
ReplyDeleteIt was certainly filling enough, Kristi. I didn't know that about the first frost!
DeleteSince i'm blessed with teens who love vegetables, i'll have to try this.
ReplyDeleteI hope they'll like it!
DeleteI eat a lot of parsnips when in Scotland cooked in a variety of ways. Spicy parsnip soup (often made with some curry powder) is one I make, and consume (does one eat or drink soup?) a lot. I have never tried raw parsnip and think I may give that one a miss.
ReplyDeleteJust nibble on a tiny piece of raw parsnip next time you prepare your delicious-sounding spicy parsnip soup.
DeleteIf you use a spoon, I'd say you eat the soup. If you serve it in a bowl and people actually raise the bowl to their mouths, then they drink it.
I love parsnips!
ReplyDeleteI must tell you, I know you said that they are popular in the U.S. but I never tasted them until I first had them in England. Maybe in other parts of the country, but in Georgia, I would say that most people have never heard of them.
I really love them though, they are wonderful in my mother-in-law's chicken roast dinner, with a nice bottle of white wine!
And it just occurred to me, if my Dad can grow turnips and rutabagas, then he could grow parsnips too. I will ask him! And if he is able to do so, it will make me so happy! See what good things you can make happen! :-)
That would be nice - knowing that your Dad grows parsnips because of my blog post :-)
DeleteI have only ever had parsnips in soup. I might try this. I think it looks really good. The thing I am not very good at sometimes is seasonings. I see you have lots of good herbs on your dish. I have a difficult time choosing the correct ones to pair together I seem to use the same 3 or 4 all the time. I need some work in that area for sure. ;)
ReplyDeleteJanice, I have my "standard" herbs, too; for instance, with potatoes I like to use marjoram or rosemary. Basil is a "must" in my kitchen, oregano I also love. Everything else depends on what I've got in the kitchen cupboard or on my windowsill.
DeleteI;m a big fan of parsnips but have never eaten them raw. I like them in a soup, specially if you fry up a few curry spices beforehand. They also make a very good soup with onion, butternut squash, and sweet potato. You can also use them to sweeten cakes, etc. and here in England you can buy Parsnip crisps in Waitrose - delicious.
ReplyDeleteIt all sounds delicious, Jenny - the soup with butternut squash and sweet potato as well as the crisps. Not so sure about the cake, but I'd definitely give it a try if someone offered me a slice :-)
DeleteYou can get parsnip crisps in the Coop in Stornoway too! Just thought you'd like to know that in case you or Jenny ever happen to be passing..
DeleteGood to know, thanks, Graham :-)
DeleteWe eat parsnips a lot here (UK) but I know they are often consider animal fodder on the continent (the French are particularly dismissive, it seems). I don't think they are eaten much in the US either. But I think the natural sweetness is lovely, especially partnered with other, more savoury tastes!
ReplyDeleteThere's a kind of "giant" parsnip (at least it looks like that) which is indeed used for animal fodder over here, Kate, but the ones they sell at the supermarkets now are gaining more and more popularity - and rightly so! I'll have some more this weekend, I think :-)
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