Carrots & Parsnips

carrots and parsnips

This is so simple that I wouldn’t really say it’s a recipe — but it is one of my favorite veggies dishes of all time and reminds me of happy family Thanksgivings — always a nice go-to option when I’ve had a really stressful day. (BTW: lots of Americans don’t seem familiar with parsnips; my Mum was English and she introduced our family to this wonderful root vegetable.)

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • Carrots: whole carrots are best, but you can use baby carrots (pre-peeled) to cut prep time
  • Peeled, coined parsnips
  • Salt/pepper, to taste

Cooking Instructions:

  • Heat a large pot with salted water
  • Prep vegetables
  • Once the water is at a rolling boil, add veggies to the pot
  • Cook until vegetables are fork tender
  • Drain vegetables
  • Whip until you achieve a smooth, but not totally pureed, texture
  • Test for seasoning; add salt and pepper, as desired
  • Note that any leftovers can be used to make the equivalent of potato pancakes — mix the leftover veg with an egg, Panko breadcrumbs and dredge with flour. Make patties about 1/2″ thick; preheat olive oil to 350 (you need about 1/2″ of oil in the pan) and cook about 5 minutes on each side. The patties should be crispy and brown; keep an eye on them — you want to ensure that they don’t burn!

Glazed Carrots

glazed carrots add depth of flavor to a favorite vegetable

Quick and easy if you use bagged baby carrots! This is another recipe where the taste profile is easily adjusted–experiment and enjoy!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 7-10 minutes

  • 1lb bag of baby carrots
  • 2 tbs light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp Allspice
  • 1-2 tsp salt; pepper in near equal proportions, to taste
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup water

Cooking Instructions:

  • Boil water, adding salt
  • Once pot is at a rolling boil, add carrots and cove; cook 5-7 minutes until fork tender
  • Let pot boil without lid until water is reduced to ~ 1/4 cup; remove from heat
  • Add sugar and spices and carefully coat carrots, letting them sit for 2-3 minutes
  • Add vinegar slowly and ensure that the carrots are evenly coated
  • Best served immediately, but any leftovers can be used in soups/stews