#parsnips

[dduane]

Of parsnips and parsnip soup

So the question of parsnips, and particularly parsnip soup, came up secondary to this quote from an interview with Terry Pratchett. (Thanks to @captainfantasticalright for the transcription.)

Terry: “You can usually bet, and I’m sure Neil Gaiman would say the same thing, that, uh, if I go into a bookstore to do a signing and someone presents me with three books, the chances are that one of them is going to be a very battered copy of Good Omens; and it will smell as if it’s been dropped in parsnip soup or something in and it’s gone fluffy and crinkly around the edges and they’ll admit that it’s the fourth copy they’ve bought”.

And when @petermorwood saw this, he immediately reblogged it and added four recipes for parsnip soup.

These kind of surprised some folks, as not everybody knew that parsnips were an actual thing: or if they were, what they looked like or were useful for.

The vegetable may well be better known on this side of the Atlantic. (And I have to confess that as a New Yorker and Manhattanite, with access to both great outdoor food markets and some of the best grocery stores in the world, I don't think that parsnips ever came up on my personal radar while I was living there.) So I thought I'd take a moment to lay out some basics for those who'd like to get to know the vegetable better.

The parsnip's Linnaean/botanical name is Pastinaca sativa, and in the culinary mode it's been around for a long time. It's native to Eurasia, and is a relative to parsley and carrots (with which it's frequently paired in the UK and Ireland). The Romans cultivated it, and it spread all over the place from there. Travelers who passed through our own neck of the woods before the introduction of the potato noted that "the Irish do feed much upon parsnips", and in the local diet it filled a lot of the niches that the potato now occupies.

You can do all kinds of things with parsnips. The Wikipedia article says, correctly, that they can be "baked, boiled, pureed, roasted, fried, grilled, or steamed". But probably the commonest food form in which parsnips turn up around here is steamed or simmered with carrots and then mashed with them: so that you can buy carrot-and-parsnip mash, ready-made, in most of our local grocery chains.

It also has to be mentioned that most Irish kids have had this stuff foisted on them at one point or another, and a lot of them hate it. (@petermorwood would be one.) I find it hard to blame anybody for this opinion, as one of the parsnip's great selling points—its spicy, almost peppery quality—gets almost completely wiped out by the carrot's more dominant flavor and sweetness.

Roasting parsnips, though, is another matter entirely. They roast really well. And parsnip soups are another story entirely, as it's possible to build a soup that will emphasize the parsnip's virtues.

So, to add to Peter's collection, here's one I made earlier—like yesterday afternoon, stopping the cooking sort of halfway and finishing it up today.

I was thinking in a vague medioregnic-food way about a soup with roasted bacon in it, but not with potatoes (as those have been disallowed from the Middle Kingdoms for reasons discussed elsewhere. Tl;dr: it's Sean Astin's fault). And finally I thought, "Okay, if we're going to roast some pork belly or back bacon, then why not save some energy and roast some parsnips too? The browned skins'll help keep them from going to mush in the soup."

So: first find your parsnips. I used four of them. You peel them with a potato peeler...

...sort of roughly quarter them, the long way...

...then chop them in half the short way, toss them in a bowl with some oil—olive oil, in this case—spread them on a baking sheet, and season them with pepper, coarse salt, and some chile flakes. (I used ancho and bird's-eye chile flakes here.)

These then went into the oven for about half an hour, and came out like this.

While that was going on, I got a block of ready-cooked Polish snack bacon out of the freezer.

On its home turf, this is the kind of thing that turns up (among other ways) sliced very thin on afternoon-snack plates, with cheeses and breads. But we like to score it and roast it to sweat some of the fat out, and then use it in soups and stews and so forth.

So I scored this chunk on most of its sides, browned it in a skillet, then shoved the skillet into the oven for twenty minutes or so. Here's the bacon after it was done.

While it was cooking, I made about a liter of soup stock from a couple of stock cubes. If you can get pork stock cubes, they'd be best for this, but beef works fine.

This then went into the pot and was brought up to just-boiling while the bacon and the parsnips were chopped into more or less bite-sized chunks. After that, the meat and veg were added to the pot and the whole business was left to simmer for a couple of hours while I went off to do some line editing.

Finally I turned it off and left it on the stove overnight (our kitchen is quite cool, it was in no bacteriological danger from being left out this way) and then finished its simmering time around lunchtime today.

And here it is. (...Or was. It was very nice.)

...Anyway, this is only one of potentially thousands of takes on parsnip soup. Recipes for more robust versions—based on mashed parsnips and more vegetables, or different meats—are all over the place.

Meanwhile, as regards how much damage this soup could do to your copy of Good Omens if you dropped yours in it, I'd rate this at about 5 damage points out of 10. ...Call it 5.5 if you factor in the chiles. Soups along the boiled-and-mashed-parsnip spectrum would probably inflict damage more in the 7.50-8.0 range. But your results may vary: so I'll leave you all to your own experimentation.

#parsnips #parsnip soup #Good Omens #Terry Pratchett #Neil Gaiman #recipes

[petermorwood]

Next week cooking list: parsnip soup,

Thanks for the suggestion!

@dduane is making parsnip soup this very evening!

#food and drink #root vegetables #parsnips

[whetstonefires]

I do have a piece of writing advice, actually.

See, the first time I grew parsnips, I fucked it up good. I hadn't seen parsnips sprouting before, right, and in my eagerness I was keeping a close eye on the row. And every time I saw some intruding grass coming up, I twitched it right out, and went back to anticipating the germination of my parsnips.

But it turns out parsnips take a bit longer than anything else I'd ever grown to distinguish themselves visually. It's just the two little split leaves, almost identical to a newly seeded bit of kentucky bluegrass when they first come up, and they take a good bit to establish themselves and spread out flat before the main stem with its first distinctive scallopy leaf gets going.

I didn't get any parsnips, not that year, because I'd weeded them all out as soon as they showed their faces, with my 'ugh no that's grass' twitchy horticulture finger.

The next year, having in retrospect come to suspect what had happened, I left the row alone and didn't weed anything until all the sprouts coming up had all had a bit to set in and show their colors, and I've grown lots of parsnips since. They're kind of a slow crop, not a huge return, but I like them and watching them grow and digging them up, and their papery little seeds in the second year, if you don't harvest one either on purpose or because you misjudged the frost, so it's worth it.

Anyway, whenever I see someone stuck and struggling with their writing who's gotten into that frustration loop of typing a few words, rejecting them, backspacing, and starting again, I find myself thinking, you gotta stop weeding your parsnips, man.

#hoc est meum #writing #gardening #parsnips #i have plenty of writing and content generation difficulties of my own i will not pretend to mastery #but this is a failstate i've gotten pretty good at recognizing and shutting down

[eyra]

the oldest recipe for parsnip soup - eyra - Harry Potter [Archive of Our Own]

Chapters: 3/9 Fandom: Harry Potter Rating: Mature Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin Additional Tags: Marauders Era, Non-Magical, Christmas, Winter, Cooking, Food, Fluff, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Autistic Sirius Black (+ please check ao3 tags before reading) There's something blazingly incongruous about Remus in the wintertime. He's golden: sunshine and honeybees, caramel curls and freckles like dappled sunlight. Even his clothes seem borrowed, and temporary, as if he might've just thrown on an extra layer for a moment in the knowledge that his own innate aestival nature would be quite enough to stave off the worst of the chill. Something at home in long balmy nights, and mornings when the gardens teem with life and song. Wonderfully out of place in the winter: a happy visitor to the season, an ember in the frost. Christmastime in the Cotswolds: cold hands, crackling fires, and Remus's indefatigable quest for parsnips.

As is tradition, a festive treat for December. If you liked A Brief History of Dragons, this one's for you, and for anyone who has been following me on tumblr for a little while you'll understand why writing this was so important and cathartic and special for me, in lots of ways. A full circle moment.

I hope you love this as much as I do, and I hope you have a wonderful winter. x

#please check the ao3 tags before reading #parsnips #my writing #sirius black #remus lupin #james potter #marauders #fanfiction #wolfstar #christmas fic #the oldest recipe for parsnip soup

[seasonalwonderment]

~ A Healthy Harvest ~

#harvest #vegetables #carrots #parsnips #healthy diet

[freshtendril]

Roots

To see the earthy vegetables cleaned of soil and laid out ready for storage every fall brings such a joy for me. The work of a successful summer garden and harvest at the end of the season gives proof of a future that provides for winter health and happiness.

Gardening and the food it provides is medicine.

#vegetables #garden vegetables #root vegetables #root crops #food #garden #gardening #carrots #radishes #leeks #parsnips #roots #gardeners #gardeners on tumblr

[morethansalad]

Sheet Pan Roasted Winter Vegetables (Vegan)

Served with an orange tahini yogurt dipping sauce

#vegan #appetizer #lunch #dinner #roasted vegetables #winter #parsnips #beets #fennel #carrots #brussel sprouts #orange #garlic #chili #rosemary #coconut sugar #dips #tahini #vegan yogurt #olive oil #paprika #cardamom #radishes #sea salt #tray bake #eat the rainbow

[allium-girl]

Black Bean, Fennel + Roasted Parsnip Salad with a Tarragon Orange Dressing

#world's most beautiful parsnip salad #recipes #autumnal recipes #winter recipes #salads #parsnips #beans #black beans #fennel #tarragon

[fattributes]

Red Wine Braised Cabbage with Polenta

#food #recipe #dinner #cabbage #polenta #cornmeal #corn #wine #parsley #tomatoes #garlic #rosemary #thyme #onions #parsnips #vegetarian #gluten free #dairy free #vegan

[myfairynuffstuff]

Anne Donlin - Parsnips. 2021. Oil on canvas.

#Anne Donlin #American-Swiss #Parsnips #Vegetables

[certifiedceliac]

Roasted Garlic Parsnip Soup with Brown Butter Walnuts & Dates (via The Original Dish)

#gluten free #gf food #gluten free foods #meals #soups #parsnips #chicken #garlic #walnuts #dates #theoriginaldish

[petermorwood]

As mentioned more than once, @dduane's Middle Kingdoms don't have potatoes. A frequent alternative is parsnips, and the fried cakes in that photo are the result of an experiment done earlier this week to see if parsnips can substitute for potatoes in our always-reliable potato cake recipe.

Yes, they can!

*****

Here's @dduane's recipe.

First peel three regular-sized parsnips. then top and tail them.

Chop them into chunks and boil them in about 2 pints (1 litre) of water.

Drain them and return to the pan: let them steam dry. Then, while still hot, mash them well with a hand masher and allow to cool completely.

As mentioned further down, parsnips retain more water than potatoes even after steam-drying, so DON'T use a food processor or other power appliance for mashing or the result will be parsnip wallpaper paste. However, a processor is ideal for the rest of the recipe.

Put 2 cups (500g) all-purpose flour and ½ tsp salt into the processor bowl, blip the pulse switch to combine them then add 1½ tsp baking powder and blip again.

Now add 3 tablespoons butter and blip the pulse switch until the butter is completely worked in and the whole mixture has a cornmeal-y texture.

Now add the cooled mashed parsnips.

Process with the flour mixture, pulsing at first, then continuously, until the mixture comes together in a dough.

(If yours behaves the way our recipe did, no additional liquid should need to be added. The parsnips hold onto a surprising amount of water even after being steamed dry.)

Flour a work surface, roll the dough out about 1/3 inch (1 cm) thick, and use a sharp biscuit cutter to cut out into rounds. Then heat cooking oil in a frying pan to medium heat and put five or six of the cakes into the hot oil.

Fry until the cakes begin to rise a little (usually 4-5 minutes) and are going golden brown Turn and fry the cakes on their other sides for another 4-5 minutes. Test one for doneness: if necessary, turn the cakes once more and give them another 5 minutes or so.

Then cook the rest of the cakes in the same way. When they're done cooking, drain on paper towels until they're cool. Eat fresh or, to keep them, put them in a biscuit tin or other airtight container.

They'll keep for a few days. The parsnip flavor mellows somewhat the day after you bake them.

Like their potato-cake cousins, they're very good split, toasted, buttered and topped with a slice of cheese or (and) salami. They also shine as an accompaniment to bacon or sausages; give the parsnip cakes a brief re-fry in the fat left from frying these, then serve alongside the fried meats, dressed with a splash of Worcester or HP sauce and maybe a dotting of Tabasco or similar.

Our next experiment will be to make this recipe with the addition of some crumbled crispy bacon, grated cheese, grated onion or a combination of same.

The experiment after that will be to see if this can become parsnip bread in the same way as Irish potato farls. I think it will... :->

#food and drink #food and cooking of the middle kingdoms #parsnips #potato cakes #parsnip cakes

[ferbracket]

Candace Competition

Perry in Candace's Body. ''She's a semi-neurotic Teenage girl of action She's a feisty little redhead with a platypus' brain You best leave her alone ; She's playing MP3s on her phone''

Parsnips. ''If it's anything like Candace's parsnip allergy, I don't blame them for not wanting to appear in public.''

#pnf #phineas and ferb #candace #candace flynn #polls #polls on tumblr #tournament polls #Candaec Competition #Does This Duckbill Make me Look Fat? #Jerk de Soleil #Perry in Candace's Body #Parsnips #0xcv0xd #Candace Competition Round 3

[eyra]

Looking forward to reading more from you!

thank you! good to have you on board 🫡

my new thing should be up in a couple of weeks, just before christmas. I’m sort of billing it: if a brief history of dragons and beneath a big blue sky had a baby, and that baby loved the wintertime. that’s this story. x

#ask #parsnips

[bumblebee-cottage]

Roasted Carrot Soup w/ Parsnips, Apples + Gingery Toasted Pepitas – Happy Hearted Kitchen

#food #cooking #soup #autumn #fall #autumn food #carrots #carrot soup #parsnips #apples #ginger #pepitas #toasted #cosy #cosy food

[sidewalkchemistry]

🥕🍠 cold season root vegetables 🍠🥕 seasonal foods pt. 3 & food-centric herbalism

beets, turnips, parsnips, radishes, celeriac, carrots, rutabagas, potatoes, and other tubers...

The things found underground can seem unusual, a bit alien, nearly otherworldly. But...so do you at times. Just as it's important not to shun things within you with those similar appearances, as they can be truly nurturing and fruitful, dig into these vegetables too. Integrate that weirdness and drop the shame. The root vegetables that go neglected or underappreciated can help you beautifully unearth and lift the veils to the same within you.

#moodboard #good eats #holistic health #holistic healing #food centric herbalism #herbalism #dream garden #root vegetables #beets #turnips #carrots #parsnips #inner work #leveling up #shadow work #herbal alchemy #green witch #starseed #spirituality #integration #authenticity #embrace the weirdness #shame #sidewalkchemistry #seasonal living #slow living #true being #true nourishment #gardencore #inner child work