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Parsnips! - and other root vegetables

gromit

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I've been really getting into different root vegetables this winter, and this weekend I got a new cookbook with a recipe for parsnip rösti. Yumyumyum.

Have you ever had parsnips before? They are basically like white carrots, but they taste sweet and slightly tangy. I think I am maybe addicted to them. I had some of the leftovers for breakfast this morning and I brought some for lunch too!

Post your favorites, any unusual ones you've tried recently, any recipes you love, etc.
 
F

figsfiggyfigs

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Parsnip tastes like sweet carrots to me... They're good, although a little "perfume-y" for me.. :)
 

ragashree

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Are parsnips an uncommon vegetable in the US then? Come to think of it, I don't actually remember seeing them for sale there, so maybe they're not widely eaten. I know they're really a cold climate vegetable and tend to get better (much richer, sweeter taste develops) after the first frosts of winter. There are some lurking in the ground here that may still be edible (haven't dug any up for a while) and the horrible winter weather seems to have only improved the flavour in comparison to the ones in the shops, though they may well be too tough and stringy inside to eat now (were getting there last time I had any).

Here, they're usually eaten roasted as a secondary vegetable along with meat and roast potatoes - or a veggie roast if that's your preference. ;) Some people add honey to roast them too, but personally I think that makes them sickly. They're also good for adding flavour (and maybe starch) to soups and stews, which is how I like to use them, particularly the old tough ones that wouldn't be so good for roasting but have a lot of flavour. They may be best off with a longer cooking time if you're going to use them like that. I think they go best with chicken or fish stews, and can probably add flavour to vegetarian recipes too. Red meat I'm not so sure about, though perhaps lamb would be worth a try if you're intending to stew it. Hope that helps. :)
 

gromit

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I don't know if they are that uncommon. My mom never fixed them for us, but I didn't have to go to a specialty food store to find them - they were at the cheap-o grocer by my apartment.

Anyway, do you live in the woods or something, ragashree?? :cheese:

Parsnip tastes like sweet carrots to me... They're good, although a little "perfume-y" for me.. :)

I think the perfume-y quality is what I like about them.
 

ragashree

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I don't know if they are that uncommon. My mom never fixed them for us, but I didn't have to go to a specialty food store to find them - they were at the cheap-o grocer by my apartment.
Ahhh... Of course, my not noticing the presence of something can encompass a whole spectrum of possibilities, from it actually not being there to the fact that I was unaware of holding it in my hand at the time due to extreme sensotardisation. ;)

Anyway, do you live in the woods or something, ragashree?? :cheese:

"Woods?" :huh: *looks around*

north-resolven-41398.jpg


:whistling:
 

iwakar

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I tried them for the first time on a whim a couple of weeks ago. Roasted them like little red potatoes we did. They were mmm mmm good! :cheese:
 

Aquarelle

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I've only recently tried parsnips, when I made colcannon. I'd made colcannon before without parsnips, but I liked them in it. But at my grocery store, you can only get them in a bag of like 4 of them, and I only needed one for the colcannon, so I've got a few left. I might have to try your recipe, gromit! I'd hate for them to go to waste.
 

prplchknz

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I've never had parsnips, but if they're like carrots can't see me being over the moon about them. Carrots are ok, not my favorite vegetable, and I'll eat them but I'd rather eat cucumbers,olives, and tomatoes
 

ragashree

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I've never had parsnips, but if they're like carrots can't see me being over the moon about them. Carrots are ok, not my favorite vegetable, and I'll eat them but I'd rather eat cucumbers,olives, and tomatoes

Huh... :thinking: I wouldn't have said they were much like carrots at all - maybe more like a tropical root vegetable such as yam or cassava perhaps. But that may not help much! Sweet potato is vaguely similar as well actually.
 

gromit

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Ha. I mean the shape is similar to carrots.

The other one I tried recently was Turnip. Made a yummy hearty soup/stew out of it.
 

funkadelik

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mmm...parsnips.

I also like:
- Jerusalem artichokes
- purple top turnips
- celeriac root
- golden beets (sweeter and sunnier than their red brothers)

Woohoo root vegetables!
 

Thalassa

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I haven't had parsnips in a while (trying to remember the last time) but I eat turnips, grew up eating them raw with salt on them for snacks, and I also love beets and radishes. I just ate radish yesterday with my lunch. Yams and sweet potatoes are good stuff, and of course most people like potatoes.

Carrots I like, but don't love, I have to be in the mood for them and prefer to have them in stews (with meat and other vegetables) or raw with dip.

I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT ONIONS AND GARLIC!!!!1111

Rutabaga pie is tradtionally made back home by some of my relatives (and many Southern people) ...but one thing I recently learned to make in the past few months with root vegetables is borscht.

Homemade borscht is freaking awesome. I linked a good recipe in my blog a while back.
 

Coriolis

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The other one I tried recently was Turnip. Made a yummy hearty soup/stew out of it.
I assume by "turnip" you mean this:
Turnip.jpg


and not this:
Rutabaga_1.jpg


The item below is a rutabaga. They have a tough, dense texture and a sharp, strong taste, and I don't even like them alone. In stews and soups, however, the flavor mellows out considerably but is still present, and they become soft but not nearly as much as carrots, turnips, or potatoes. Stew without rutabaga now tastes bland to me. I came up with a recipe awhile ago that I call "root soup", involving rutabaga, carrots, potatoes, sausage, and wild rice. One could add turnip or parsnip as well. I puree about half of the collected root vegetables to make a nice thick broth.
 

rav3n

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Not particular about parsnips but something similar are daikon radishes which in my opinion only taste good in kimchee, but is well loved by many asians like the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans. Not sure about other asians.

Regular radishes when young and tender, are great for veggie dip dishes.

And one of the most hated root veggies to exist, the turnip. Surprisingly, they taste good in the following recipe which I serve at Christmas. There's never any leftovers when served.

Boil 1/3 turnip, 2/3 carrots until tender. Mash together with some brown sugar. In a frying pan, melt butter and heat until brown and bubbly, add bread crumbs, cinnamon, brown sugar, stirring until the sugar carmelises and it becomes a crumbly topping. Sprinkle over mashed turnips/carrots in an oven proof casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour so the topping gets browned.
 
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