2 pounds parsnips
One and a half tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon salt
half cup water
2 tablespoons maple syrup
one and a half tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Heat oven to 400. Wash parsnips and peel off rough parts. Cut a few inches off the thick end and half or quarter this so that all the pieces are roughly the same size. In an heavy oven proof pan toss parsnips in oil and salt and heat on top of the stove, adding water once the pan has begun to warm. Bring to a simmer and move the dish into the oven, continuing to cook until parsnips are tender, about 45 minutes. Turn them every 15 minutes and add water if needed. Once tender, drain remaining water and toss parsnips with maple and both vinegars to coat and return to the oven until golden brown.
This is a great recipe for carrots as well.
1 pound Carrots
1 garlic clove
2 limes, grate zest and juice them
2 tablespoons chopped scallion
½ teaspoon red pepper, cayenne or fresh jalapeno
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted briefly in a hot skillet and ground or chopped
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted briefly in a hot skillet and ground or chopped
One third cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Grate, shred or julienne carrots, set aside and start a medium saucepan of salted water boiling. Finely chop garlic and combine with lime juice and zest, scallion, red pepper. Add cumin and coriander. Whisk in olive oil and add salt to taste.
Blanche carrots in boiling water briefly, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove and drain. Add to a small bowl and drizzle vinaigrette over to coat. Serve warm or chill.
2 cups dried Hijiki, Arame, or any other not flat seaweed varieties (ask at your local health food store)
Soy Sauce or tamari
2 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons Grated fresh ginger
3-4 medium Carrots, julienned or run through a grater so that they end up coarse
Salt
Toasted sesame seeds
Follow the direction of cooking/preparing seaweed and toss with a tablespoon soy sauce. Heat oil in a skillet and add carrots and ginger, stir-fry until the carrots begin to color around the edges, about 2 minutes. Add the seaweed and cook 5 minutes more, tossing frequently. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and continue cooking until the moisture is gone. Taste and season with salt. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
2 Tablespoons butter or nutty oil
3 medium parsnips, washed and cut diagonally across the root
into 1 inch pieces
1 Tablespoon honey or maple
Pinch of cayenne or a dash of hot sauce
Salt and Pepper
Heat oven to 375. Melt butter in a medium saucepan or skillet that will also fit your cut parsnips.
Soak the parsnips in hot water to bring them up to room temp.
Once butter is melted, turn off the heat, add the honey and blend the two.
Drain the parsnips and empty them onto a dishtowel to remove the excess water.
Add the parsnips, cayenne, salt and pepper to the pan and turn it all over until everything is mixed and coats the parsnips.
Empty the contents into a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
Turn with a spatula and increase the oven temp to 400 degrees.
Turn again in ten minutes and cook for another 10. The parsnips should be browning around the edges and soft through.
Serve hot. Carrots can be added to this preparation with no changes.
Creamy Coleslaw
1 pound of cabbage (about ½ to ¾ of a head)
Shredded or finely chopped (quarter first, then core and lay the quarter flat to chop)
2 carrots, grated and unpeeled
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
½ small onion, minced
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
black pepper
Toss cabbage and carrots with salt and let sit in a colander over a medium bowl. Let sit at least an hour and up to 4. Dump cabbage and carrots into the bowl and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Place back into the colander and press them, but don’t squeeze, to drain. Pat dry with paper towel and set aside. (You can store this overnight in an airtight container in the fridge if you like).
Combine in the bowl cabbage, carrots, onion, mayo, and vinegar. Toss to coat everything and season with black pepper.
Sweet and Sour Coleslaw
1 pound of cabbage (about ½ to ¾ of a head)
Shredded or finely chopped (quarter first, then core and lay the quarter flat to chop)
2 carrots, grated and unpeeled
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon celery seed or 1 teaspoon toasted cumin
6 Tablespoons sesame, peanut, or vegetable oil
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
black pepper
Toss cabbage and carrots with salt, sugar, and celery/cumin seed and let sit in a colander over a medium bowl. Let sit at least an hour and up to 4. Pour away the liquid in the bowl and add in the carrot/cabbage mixture. Pour in oil and vinegar and toss to coat. Add black pepper to taste. Can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
This is a basic soup that can be complemented with several flavors to keep everyone interested. Try the following additions: Sautéed, shaved ginger
Roasted peanuts
Caramelized onion
Roasted red pepper
2 Tablespoons butter, olive oil, or a mixture
1 Onion, sliced thin
1 lb. Carrots, sliced thin
1 Bay leaf
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
3 Tablespoons white rice
1 Teaspoon paprika
1 Teaspoon cumin
Half teaspoon coriander
Salt and fresh pepper
7 Cups water or vegetable stock
Heat butter/oil over medium heat in soup pot. Add onion, carrots, bay leaf, parsley, and rice cook until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add spices, half teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook for five more minutes. Add the water/stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered for about 25 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf. Take 2 cups of soup and puree until very smooth and set aside. Puree the remainder of the soup, leaving some “texture”. Put the two portions together and add salt/pepper as desired or other additional complementary ingredients.
It’s easy to make your own broth to use in cooking or as the basis for soups. It’s healthier, too, than buying canned broth, since you can control the amount of salt you add and can remove fat from the stock after cooking.
Use stewing chickens, chicken backs, or the leftover carcass from a roast chicken. Place the chicken in a large stockpot with yellow onions with the skins on (to add color), celery ribs, carrots, bay leaves, whole peppercorns, thyme, and salt.
Cover the ingredients with water and bring to a boil. Remove any debris that floats to the top, reduce to a simmer, and cover.
Once done, strain the liquid to remove the vegetables, bones, and any meat pieces. Let the stock cool completely and refrigerate. Remove any fat that congeals at the top.
Cooking time: three to four hours.
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2 table spoons butter
salt and fresh pepper
fresh herbs coarsely chopped parsley, thyme, and marjoram and favorites.
Heat a large skillet of sauteed pan over medium heat. Once hot, add butter. Once melted add remaining ingredients and sauteed gently over medium heat until the vegetable soften.
Water can be added to this to form a simple stock. Try starting your favorite soups, stews and casseroles with this base, adding ingredients to the finished mirepoix. A mirepoix is used either to season stews, soups, sauces, and fricasses or as a base for braising meats or fish. In this recipe, mirepoix refers to equal parts of finely diced carrot, onion, and celery.
