When he came to visit, he mentioned our Grandma Weinke’s mashed parsnips. She used to make them instead of mashed potatoes. I had actually been trying to remember what it was that she cooked like that, and had been thinking radishes or turnips, so it is good that he brought it up. Bad, though, because I have no clue how to cook them right. I found parsnips at the local grocer, so I have those and since they were relatively inexpensive, if I screw up and they turn out gross, it’s no big deal.
So, does anyone know how to make mashed parsnips? I am guessing it is the same as making mashed potatoes, but if anyone has a family recipe, anectdotes, etc I would love to see them.
For those who have had mashed parsnips – is it a regional thing? Where are you from and do you eat them often? No one that I have talked to here at work has ever even heard of parsnips, let alone cooked them.
Cool. Thanks! I am going to make them just like mashed potatoes – that’s how I remember them being served when I was a kid. We will see how they turn out. I am going to boil them til tender then mash them up with a little butter & sour cream and salt & pepper. I can’t wait. I think I am going to make my curried turkey meatloaf and peas & carrots to go with it. If it turns out well, I will be picking up more of them next time I am at the grocer.
You know, I’ve only had parsnips once, cooked by a friend’s mom in England. She roasted them like potatoes with a chicken, and they were delicious, kind of halfway between a carrot and a potato. Nobody seems to eat them around here for some reason, although they are common at the farmer’s market. Perhaps I’ll pick some up this evening.
BMalion – sounds good, but the hubby doesn’t like spicy, so I can’t add the garlic We will see how it goes and maybe next time I can roast them (in a little chicken broth with garlic, salt and pepper sounds yummy!).
I love cooking them with a chicken. I tried the roast chicken recipe on the same blog… mmm it was so good. The recipes I’ve used from her blog have so far been delicious.
Grandma would usually cook parsnips with her roast, like you do carrots. We’d almost always have them with Thanksgiving dinner. I love parsnips, so I get them from the Farmer’s market. Cheaper than the grocery store (easier to come by too it seems).
Flutterby, yeh – to hubby, garlic = spicy. What can I say? He actually likes MRE’s.
Well, the parsnips were a huge hit here tonight. I boiled them with a little kosher salt and white pepper, then mashed them with a little butter and sour cream. I added a little more salt & white pepper and suffice it to say there’s about a tablespoon left of the approximately 3-4 cups that were made (as a reference point – if I had made that much in mashed potatoes, we would have had at least 2 servings left for hubby to take for dinner at work tonight)
I found them to be much sweeter than I remember from my childhood – but some of the research I did earlier (looking for a recipe) indicated that Spring harvest parsnips are sweeter than Fall harvest – I would have only ever eaten Fall harvest parsnips, since we always visited Grandma Weinke in the winter. I am thinking that the next time we grill out, I am putting a few on the grill with a little pepper and lemon juice. That sounds delish.
I might drop a few in the next roast I do – that does sound good and since we all love roasted carrots, it’s not a stretch to think that we would like the parsnips that way too. Of course, what’s funny is that my husband has never had turnips, either. I will have to get some turnips and cook those for him.
Funny how you don’t think about things being particular to certain areas or to your own family because they were always a staple/mainstay. Makes me think of macaroni and cheese. I can’t stand the stuff unless I put ketchup on it. It’s the only thing outside of meatloaf that I actually put ketchup on – even french fries don’t get that stuff! I always thought it was pretty much the way things were til people started going “ick” when I did it. Come to find out the only people outside of my immediate family that I know who do this are all from (or spent a large portion of their life in) Michigan.
I always thought “yellow rice” was just a staple food item. We had it all the time growing up. It’s still one of my favorite side dishes. Heck, because it has saffron in it and saffron is an “exotic” spice, I always assumed it was one of those food that my Yankee mother brought to our dinner table – I always thought it was a Northern food. Then I moved to Seattle. I discovered that yellow rice, chess pie and boiled custard are only sold in the South. Who knew? Heh…For those not “in the know” – yellow rice is just plain old rice flavoured with saffron. It’s delish. You can buy it pre-packaged down here, chess pie is an egg custard style pie (think derby pie without the liquor) and boiled custard is a drink much like egg nog only it is thicker and sweeter and typically served without adding liquor.
That’s got me wondering – does anyone else have weird food quirks that were always the norm for you and you found out wern’t normal for anyone else?
The thing I remember most about my mom cooking parsnips was how awful they smelled while cooking compared to how delicious they taste to eat. I haven’t had them in years – I’ll have to see if we can find some, I’ve always loved them! Your ideas for how to fix them sound scrumptuous, too!
Mom used to parboil them, slice them thin – about a quarter inch – and then fry them in butter until they started to brown and get kinda crispy on the outside. She might have dredged them in flour – I can’t remember.
Never had them mashed – sounds great. Now I’m wishing we would have planted some.
The thing is, it has been so very long since I have had turnips or parsnips, I had them confused. I used to love both mashed. My Grandma Sloan (father’s side) would make mashed turnips – and they were awesome. It was my Grandma Weinke (mother’s side) that made the parsnips. IIRC, they both have a very unusual tase mashed. The parsnip taste is hard for me to describe – kinda of like a mix between potatoes, carrots and apples. Like a sweet, starchy carrot. I never liked rutabagas, so I donno what they taste like mashed or otherwise. I will admit that both turnips and parsnips are releatively bland veggies and I know that both grandmas did something to spice them up. I didn’t quite get the mashed parsnips the way I remember them, will have to try boiling them in chicken broth next time and maybe boil a little longer. Definitely try to get them in the fall to see if there is really a detectable taste difference.
As for Brussels Sprouts – OMG, one of my favorite veggies. They are definitely a rare treat, though. A little goes a long way with them. I like to steam them til they are just barely cooked through and then cover them in butter (the real stuff, not spread or margerine) and salt and pepper. Very yummy. YMMV
AuntiePam your mom’s recipe sounds good – like fried potatoes. I would add some bacon and onions and a whole lotta pepper. I may have to try that – it would be a little different for a change. Not that I do fried potatoes often – it’s just so much work, since I am very anal retentive and have to have them just so.
On the subject – anyone know how to fry hominy right? That’s something my Grandma Sloan used to make and I loved it. I just can’t get the hominy to not clump up when I try to fry it. I know there is a secret, but I don’t have it. I suck at Southern cooking, I hate to admit. I honestly have never been able to make a fried porkchop that wasn’t slightly raw or burnt to a crisp. Cornbread pancakes are the only Southern food I can cook right. How sad is that, considering I have spent probably 20 of my 35 years of life in TN.
Maybe it’s military food that kills the tastebuds? My Dad can quite happily eat anything that is charcoal and proclaim it delicious.
Ranch dressing on mashed potatoes.
It’s just something my family does. If there isn’t gravy or cream corn, you pour ranch dressing on them. Get weird looks when I do it, but oh well.
Oh, and until recently I thought rutabagas were turnips… Mom says there is no difference and constantly calls them turnips. But I now know they are not.
Heh, nah. My MIL’s cooking is godawful. Trust me, compared to her cooking, MRE’s are gourmet! His taste is getting more refined living with me.
As for ranch dressing on mashed potatoes – yum. We often joke that you can tell anyone who went to GHS (my high school) because they put ranch dressing on their french fries. Because ketchup was apparently more valuable than gold, but ranch dressing was available in endless supply, it was either dip your fries in the ranch dressing or eat them dry – because 1 packet of ketchup (all we were allowed) just doesn’t go very far!
I did find it absolutely disgusting that in Seattle, people put tarter sauce on their french fries. Ick! I guess it’s no worse than the British putting mayonaise on them, but still.
Oh yum! I never realized that this was a Seattle thing though. Just thought it was a great way to keep the tartar sauce from falling off your fish sandwich. I have recently been introduced to balsamic vinegar on fries, and think that’s yum too! Mayo on fries is, however, evil and should be banished.
Of course, I’m also a huge fan of rutabaga served with butter and korv so take all this as you will.
We will see how it goes and maybe next time I can roast them (in a little chicken broth with garlic, salt and pepper sounds yummy!).
