Someone is giving me this big bag of salsify and parsnips, with a few carrots and beets thrown in. I have never eaten salsify or parsnips before. What do they taste like? They look similar to each other, but do they taste the same? Could I just roast all these suckers and make a soup? Do you have any other good recipes?
Any advice on how to cook and eat these mysterious vegetables is welcome.
Also, there’s celeriac in there. Celeriac?!?
I actually have no idea what salsify is, but parsnips are always good roasted, or mashed with potatoes, mashed by themselves, as a basis for soup stock (in Eastern Europe, parsnips are an integral part of many soup or stew bases.) Celery root (aka celeriac) is also used extensively in Eastern/Central European soups and stews. Green celery stalks don’t feature prominently in those cuisines, so the typical vegetables in a broth would be celery root, parsnips, and carrots. Otherwise, celeriac also works well mashed with potatoes, and lends itself well to a wonderful cream soup.
They are all worth trying on their own. Scrub up a portion and cut some thin slices, or use a peeler, and try them raw first. They can be deep fried that way.
Parsnips are delectable simply roasted by themselves. Scrubbing is usually sufficient, but any dark lines can be peeled or pared off. Always take a heavy cut on the tops. 350F oven for 45 min/Hr for ‘nips up to 1-1/4" diameter, closed casserole.
Parsnips pair with beef most excellently. In a slow cooker, put a hunk o’ bottom round or the like that you have browned, along with some mirepoix, perhaps, and a splash of burgundy or dry sherry. After four hours add the parsnips, chunked. Eat at eight.
Parsnips are sort of like a cross between a carrot and a potato. Personally, I’d rather just have a carrot and a potato, but my wife likes them.
Does salsify rhyme with falsify (long I sound in the last syllable)?
Parsnips are also excellent when boiled, mashed, and mixed with mashed potatoes and (I kid you not) pears. I think the proportions are 3:1:1 (potato: parsnip: pear), but you could always leave the pear out and duly increase the parsnip proportion.
I used to have a 200-year-old recipe for parsnips and ham, but I can’t find it. :smack: The sauce was something like: a roue made with 4 TB butter and flour; add milk (1/3 cup?), a little sugar, 2 TB white vinegar, and 2 tsp dijon mustard. Pour over diced and boiled parsnips and chopped ham, dress with parsley.
I just tried celeriac for the first time last week. I used it in a beef stew and it added a lovely flavor. It’s like intense but sweet celery. What was nice is the texture of it in a stew–not stringy like celery.
Parsnips taste to me like a cross between carrots and sweet potatoes.
I wouldn’t know salsify if it bit me.
If it’s cold where you are, make beef and root vegetable stew. Get some chunks of stew meat, dredge them in flour, and brown them at the bottom of a stew pot in some oil. Add beef broth or stock, some dry red wine, and whatever spices suit your mood…definitely a bay leaf or two. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan to help flavor the broth. Add the meat back in and let it hang out on the stove, simmering for a few hours. Add in chunked root vegetables (I usually use potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips, but your mixture would be great too). Cook until the vegetables are done and eat it with a crusty bread. It’s the perfect thing on a cold evening.
Roasted Roots. Chunk them all, sprinkle with oil and some seasoning*, and roast.
Harry & David make an excellent Vegetable Rub that only seems to be available in certain gift baskets.
Parsnip soup rocks.
Sweat one medium onion and a clove or two of garlic in a little butter or olive oil.
Add 1 - 2 tbsps generic (supermarket) curry powder and brown.
Throw in 3 medium peeled parsnips, and around a litre of vegetable stock. Cook until the parsnips are tender, then blend for a thick puree. Add black pepper and slat to taste.
Serve with croutons or chili cheese on toast.