I had gotten these parsnips with the intent of making a carrot and parsnip salad. But it requires harissa. And I keep dropping the ball on actually making the harissa for it. And the parsnips have already been in the fridge for over a week at this point. So I decided that maybe it was better to do this simple roast parsnip recipe to use them up instead. Maybe I can make some harissa for the next batch of parsnips that I get.

Curried Roasted Parsnips

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 450g parsnips, peeled and cut into 5mm thick coins
• 1 tsp. Madras curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Place butter in a roasting pan and put the pan in the oven while it preheats. Keep an eye on it to make sure the butter doesn't burn.
3. Once butter is melted, add the parsnips and toss to coat.
4. Add the curry powder, salt, and pepper and toss to coat.
5. Roast at 200°C (400°F) for 45 minutes, stirring and flipping every 15 minutes.

This was a decent dish, but it really feels like more of a side-dish than a main course. I think it would be good with a nice piece of salmon or maybe some chicken.

I also messed up a bit in that I forgot that this recipe called for green onions. So when TF asked me if she could use the rest on her lunch, I told her to go ahead. With no fresh green onions left, I ended up using a bit of scallion oil for roasting the veggies instead of the olive oil suggested in the original.

Wheat Berries with Roasted Veggies

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. wheat berries¹
• 3 c. vegetable stock²
• 3 parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 1 small (or 1/2 large) butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 large onion (preferably red), peeled and cubed
• 5-7 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil (or scallion oil)
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Combine wheat berries and vegetable stock in a small pot and bring to a boil.
2. reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for ~1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
4. Toss parsnips, squash, onion, and garlic with oli, vinegar, salt, and pepper and dump into a roasting pan.
5. Roast for ~45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. Peel the garlic and return to the veggies.
7. Drain wheat berries and combine with roasted veggies.
8. Toss with cranberries, parsley, and green onions.
9. Drizzle with additional vinegar and serve.

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¹ I wasn't sure whether hard or soft wheat berries would be better, but I had more hard than soft, so that's what I went with. I figured, if nothing else, hard wheat would offer marginally more protein than soft. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for 3 1/2 c. water. I did use 3 1/2 c. of water, but opted to add an "herb & garlic" bouillon cube as well. I like how that worked out, so I think I'd just use 3 c. of stock next time. (I don't think the extra 1/2 c. was necessary since it just gets drained at the end anyway. ^Back

This recipe got significantly overhauled by symbol. As written, there's too much broth for our quinoa, so that got reduced; the spices got tweaked and oil reduced, too.

For the final "drizzle with oil" step, the original recipe calls for ¼ C of olive oil. We had just made this tagine, and it produced lots of grease; we ended up skimming off about ¼ C of the sauce, of which maybe ¾ were grease. I've approximated this with schmaltz here. If you want to keep it vegetarian, use a reduced quantity of olive oil.

Moroccan-Spiced Roasted Vegetables and Quinoa

Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 50)

Ingredients

• 3 large parsnips (or 6 small ones), peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
• 2 large carrots (or 4 small ones), peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ras el hanout
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp grease + 1 tbsp other sauce bits
• 1½ C chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 C quinoa, rinsed
• ¼ C dried apricots, quartered
• 3 tbsp slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2-3 tbsp schmaltz or other oil for drizzling

Directions

1. Toss parsnips and carrots with oil, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, ras el hanout, salt, and pepper.
2. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast at 400°F until vegetables are tender and starting to caramelize, 35-40 minutes
3. Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan.
4. Add the quinoa, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, 12-15 minutes.
5. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl. Top with vegetables, apricots, almonds, and parsley.
6. Drizzle over schmaltz and serve.

A Cook's Country recipe card; we cooked it almost as written, but reduced the amount of butter called for and added parsnips (and halved the salt, as we always do with ATK recipes).

Sage-Crusted Steaks with Roasted Vegetables

Cook's Country December/January 2019 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 6 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 2 large parsnips, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 340g small potatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• ¼+1 tsp salt, ground, divided
• ¼+1 tsp pepper, ground, divided
• 2 (~500g) ribeye steaks
• 2 tbsp minced fresh sage (or 1 tbsp dry)
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• ½+½ tbsp butter, divided

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat to 450°F.
2. Toss vegetables with melted butter and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper.
3. Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast until tender and browned, ~25 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and sprinkle with thyme.
5. Meanwhile, combine 1 tsp each of salt and pepper, the sage, and the lemon zest in a small bowl.
6. Pat steaks dry and rub sage mixture onto both sides.
7. Heat a large skillet over medium heat (600W) and melt ½ tsp of butter in it.
8. Add a steak and cook, flipping every 2 minutes, until desired doneness is reached (between 125°F and 160°F). This may take anywhere from 10 to 20+ minutes depending on the steak.
9. Remove and buffer steak on a covered plate. Repeat with the remaining butter and the second steak.

This dish was supposed to be made with barley grits/couscous, but I didn't have any and I didn't have time to grind my own, so I just used whole wheat couscous instead. The preferred method is, of course, to cook the couscous by steaming it three times and only adding the broth at the end of cooking. This really does make a big difference to the final result and makes the couscous much nicer. But I already had a lot of other things going on in the kitchen, so I skipped the steaming and just cooked the couscous by the instant way. I will write up and link to the steaming instructions (which don't seem to be on the blog yet) in a separate post.

Couscous with Beef and Leafy Greens

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. dried chickpeas¹
• 450g cracked lean beef shanks or short ribs (braising ribs), cut into 2-3cm cubes²
• 1-2 bunches Russian kale, broccoli rabe, or broccolini; rinsed, trimmed, and chopped
• 225g carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 225g parsnip, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 450g tomatoes, diced, divided
• 6 c. water
• 450g barley grits or barley couscous³
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 c. milk⁴
• 2 tsp. ghee or oudi

Directions

1. Place the chickpeas in a bowl or pot and pour in enough water to cover them by at least 5cm. Soak overnight.
2. Drain the chickpeas and transfer to a large pot or Dutch oven.
3. Add the beef, carrots, parsnips, and 1/3 of the greens, cover, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.⁵
4. Add the salt, 2 Tbsp. of the oil, onion, spices, and 1/2 of the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes.
5. Add the water and bring to a boil.
6. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the meat is tender (2-3 hours).
7. Meanwhile, steam your barley grits/couscous.⁶
8. While the barley is cooking, brush the remaining Tbsp. of oil onto the bottom of a large skillet.
9. Spread 1/2 the remaining greens in the skillet.
10. Place the cilantro and parsley on top of the greens, then place the remaining greens on top of the herbs.
11. Cover with a paper towel and a heavy plate followed by a tightly fitting lid.
12. Cook the greens over low heat for 30 minutes.⁷
13. Uncover the greens and add the remaining tomatoes to the pan.
14. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for ~10 minutes. Set aside.
15. Check on the broth and skim any foam or fat off the surface. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
16. Strain the broth and set the meat and vegetables aside.
17. Add the milk to the broth and boil it down to reduce by about half.
18. Stir in the ghee.
19. Moisten the thrice-steamed barley with ~1 1/2 c. of the broth. Use a whisk to smoothout any lumps.
20. Arrange the meat, vegetables, and greens on top of the couscous.
21. Let stand for 10 minutes.
22. Serve with a bowl of the remaining broth on the side.⁸

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¹ I swapped in 1 c. of canned chickpeas for the dried and skipped the soaking step. ^Back
2 I completely missed the part where it said to cut up the beef. This would've made it a lot easier to serve! Oh well, it was still delicious. If you do use beef shanks and cut them up before putting them in, make sure you still include the bones. They add great flavour! ^Back
3 As noted above, I didn't end up making barley grits, so I just used 2 c. of whole wheat couscous instead. (2 c. may or may not be equivalent to 450g of barley. I didn't worry so much about having the same amount, I just cooked what seemed reasonable for the meal.) ^Back
4 Goat's milk would be preferable, but cow or sheep can be substituted if necessary. ^Back
5 The recipe calls for adding the vegetables at this stage, but I would be tempted to experiment with adding them later. They were quite soft by the time the broth was done and I feel that it might've been better to cook the meat and chickpeas alone first and add the veggies part-way through. ^Back
6 As noted above, I skipped all the steaming and just made a batch of instant couscous using the broth at the end. It would certainly be better with properly steamed starches, but sometimes convenience trumps quality. Instant couscous does make this dish more accessible. Especially when you have other things cooking at the same time. ^Back
7 This seemed like way too much cooking to me. The greens were dry and beginning to brown after the half hour. Even though I'd had the pan on the lowest possible setting. Next time I think I'd probably try cooking them for only 15 minutes. ^Back
8 Pouring a little bit of extra broth over the couscous just before you eat it really makes a big difference. I highly recommend both broth and harissa as extra "condiments" with this dish. ^Back

TF was in the mood for stuffed pasta. I was planning to get some in the last grocery order, but I didn't like any of the options. We both thought that something vegetable-y sounded good and, aside from some spinach-ricotta ravioli, there wasn't really much available in the way of vegetable fillings. Then I saw that MamaEarth had parsnips available this week.

With parsnip in mind, I set about looking for homemade ravioli recipes. I found a few that looked nice. In the end, I decided to go with this agnolotti recipe, but swap out the fried mint for fried sage. I think I'd probably swap out the hazelnuts for leeks next time as well. The hazelnuts were okay, but I didn't feel that they added much to the dish. (Maybe they would've been more harmonious if I'd chopped them, but I was tired and didn't want to deal with trying to chop nuts without making a mess.)

Parsnip-Pear Agnolotti

Slightly adapted from Rhubarb and Cod

Ingredients

Pasta

• 165g semolina flour
• 165g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp. water

Filling

• 2-3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 very ripe bartlett pear, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. mascarpone cheese
• 1 egg, beaten (for sealing pasta)

Sauce

• 1/4 c. oil (for frying sage)
• 1/4 c. fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter
• 1 leek, very well rinsed, white and light green parts thinly sliced
• Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

Dough

1. Combine the flours and salt and mix well. You can do this in a bowl or on a clean work surface.
2. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add your eggs and water. If working without a bowl, make sure the well is very wide.
3. Beat the eggs with a fork and gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet.
4. Once most of the dry ingredients have been incorporated, start kneading. Add a bit more egg and/or water if necessary. Especially if you intend to roll out the pasta without the aid of a machine; dough that's a little bit softer will be easier to work with.
5. Once the dough seems supple and has a big of spring to it, wrap it in plastic wrap and set it aside for at least an hour.

Filling

1. While the dough is resting, make the filling.
2. Add the parsnips to a pot and add enough water to cover them.
3. Bring to a boil and cook until tender (5-7 minutes).
4. Drain the parsnips and add them to a blender or food processor along with the pear, garlic, and salt.
5. Blend/process until smooth.
6. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the mascarpone.
7. Cover and chill for at least half an hour.

Making the Agnolotti

1. Divide the dough into quarters.
2. Working with one quarter at a time roll it very, very thin on a well-floured surface.
3. Brush a little beaten egg on the dough.
4. Place a line of filling down the long side of the dough. (You can use a piping bag with a round tip if you want to be fancy and neat about it. I just used my fingers and a spoon.)
5. Fold the dough over the filling, then fold it over again.
6. Press your finger across the middle of the pasta tube.
7. Move over a few cm and press again.
8. Work from the middle out in both directions.
9. Once you reach both ends, use a knife or a bench/dough scraper to cut through the middle of each spot you pressed.

Cooking and Serving

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the sage leaves a few at a time.
3. As soon as they stop sizzling, remove them from the oil and set aside to drain.
4. Reserve the oil for another purpose.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
6. While you wait for the water to boil, melt the butter over medium heat.
7. Add the leek and cook until softened.
8. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for ~3 minutes.
9. Drain and add to the pan with the butter and leek.
10. Toss the ravioli with the butter to coat.
11. Remove from heat and transfter to a serving dish.
12. Top with fried sage and Parmesan.

Roasted Carrots and Shallots

These really are excellent roasted carrots. The flavour is excellent and they're done just right. I had a few extra parsnips, so I tossed them in along with the carrots.

Roased Carrots and Shallots

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2018

Ingredients

• 700g carrots (or mix of carrots and parsnips)¹, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 4 large shallots, halved
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
2. Toss carrots and shallots with butter, salt, and pepper.
3. Spread mixture in an even layer on rimmed baking sheet, cut-sides-down.
4. Roast at 230°C (450°F) until tender and undersides are well-browned (~25 minutes).
5. Sprinkle with thyme and serve.

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¹ If your carrots are less than ~3cm in diameter, leave them whole. If they're thicker, you can roast them for a little longer. ^Back

Spiced Honey Lemon Beef Tagine

This tagine sounded really promising. The onions were excellent. But, overall, I found the dish a little bland. A generous dollop of harissa on top perked it up nicely though.

Honey Lemon Beef Tagine

Slightly adapted from 150 Best Tagine Recipes by Pat Crocker

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. pomegranate molasses
• 4 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 450g stewing beef
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into eighths
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c. beef broth
• juice of 1 lemon
• flesh and rind of 1 very small preserved lemon (or 1/2 large preserved lemon), chopped
• 1 very large (or 3 small) parsnips, chopped
• Harissa, to serve

Directions

1. Combine honey, sesame oil, pomegranate molasses, garlic paste, and ras el hanout to make a marinade.
2. Toss beef with marinade, cover, and chill for up to 24 hours.
3. After meat has had at least half and hour to marinate, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add broth, lemon juice, and preserved lemon and bring to a boil.
5. Stir in parsnips, beef, and marinade.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
7. Serve over couscous with harissa.