February #4 - Parsnip and my easy gnocchi recipe
Are you more potato or parsnip? It's worth a debate...
HISTORY:
Wild parsnip, part of the same family as celeriac, parsley or carrots, is native to Europe and West Asia but it has been cultivated for over 2,000 years and was enjoyed by Ancient Greeks and Romans. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, Anglo-Saxon farmers still favoured both carrots and parsnips as a crop. Although their popularity was overturned by the introduction of potato, they still remain a winter classic in Norther Europe.
FUN FACTS:
During antiquity, they were a valued source of starch but also used medicinally as an aphrodisiac, so say because of their shape. I need not say any more.
In medieval Europe, parsnips were often used as a sweetener instead of rare cane sugar or expensive honey. The cooking water was either boiled down to a syrup or parsnip mash was used instead of jam.
They taste sweetest when harvested after a frost so you might favour winter parsnips over autumn ones.
‘Faire words butter noe parsnips’ - this 17th Century saying means that talking won’t get the job done. It’s an example of the bigger part parsnips played in our diet at the time, and the fact parsnips do taste better with a bit of butter.
Some say parsnips in Italy are fed to the pigs destined to become Parma ham. I can’t see any proof of this in the protected appellation criteria but they do have to be fed produce grown locally, alongside whey from Parmesan production (Of course!), so it is possible.
HOW TO COOK THEM:
Raw: Apparently yes but I’ll admit I’ve never tried it. Perhaps grate them or slice them in julienne to add to coleslaw or Céleri remoulade.
Cooked:
Slice them thinly and store in a pickle brine to add to salads.
Boil cubes in stock and blitz into creamy soups along with some of its favourite pairings below.
Roast parsnip wedges in vegetable oil and butter at 200°C until golden brown and crispy.
Steam cubed parsnip or roast it whole until tender and mash up the flesh with butter and either nutmeg or truffle oil to make a deliciously more-ish mash.
Thinly slice and fry them to make slightly sweet crisps, then dust them with salt and curry powder or cinnamon.
Add parsnip slices to a roasted root vegetable tart or even tart Tatin.
Add cubed parsnip to stews and curries for a sweet starchy bite.
Parsnips pair particularly well with other vegetables and in particular peas, leeks, potato, plantain and watercress; fruit such as pear, apple or banana; meat and mostly bacon, beef, pork, chicken, shellfish and white fish; beans and pulses; sesame seeds, hazelnuts and walnuts; hard cheeses; and aromatics such as parsley, miso, star anise, curry, cumin, nutmeg or vanilla.
My other parsnip recipes:
Parsnip gnocchi & walnut sauce: see below
MOOD FOOD - HAPPY:
Folate - is linked to levels of serotonin, our good mood hormone often linked to a feeling of serenity and happiness.
Vitamin C - is involved in converting dopamine to noradrenaline - low amounts of noradrenaline are associated with depression.
Vitamin B6 - required in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, low amounts of B6 have been linked to tiredness, irritability and depression.
Potassium - high potassium is associated with lower cortisol levels therefore reducing anxiety and stress. It is also required to allow serotonin to function effectively.
This week’s recipe:
Parsnip Gnocchi & Walnut Sauce Recipe
Looking for parsnip recipes beyond Sunday roast?
This is an easy gnocchi recipe for some ultimate healthy comfort food.
It's no secret that I love gnocchi, but the addition of parsnips in this recipe was incredible!! Slow roasting develops a deeper and sweeter flavour which pairs beautifully with the bitterness of walnuts in this creamy cheesy sauce from Liguria. As I mentioned above, parsnips love walnuts, nutmeg, potato and hard cheeses so this is a sure winner. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it!
Ingredients (4 portions):
Parsnip gnocchi recipe:
200g baking potato
700g parsnips
100g plain flour (I used self raising too which also works well) + 60g for dusting
Creamy walnut sauce recipe (serves 2):
70g walnuts
30g grana padano / parmesan / pecorino cheese
1 tsp grated nutmeg
Salt
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Place 1 large baking potato and 2 large parsnips, whole, onto a baking tray. And roast in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a knife can very easily be inserted into the middle.
While they're hot, slice the potatoes and parsnips in half and remove the flesh inside with a spoon. (Keep the skins to have with cheese on top for lunch.)
Mash the potato and parsnip together using a potato ricer (ideally) or a masher.
Separate an egg and store the whites in the fridge for another time.
In a large bowl, quickly mix together the hot parsnip and potato mash with the egg yolk. If you used a masher and still have lumps, now is the time to remove them by blitzing the mix with a stick blender.
Stir in the flour until combined. Check that the mix doesn't need any more flour: try to form a ball, the mix should be sticky but able to retain its shape.
Leave the gnocchi mix to cool down in the fridge for 20 minutes.
In a food processor, blitz together the walnut sauce ingredients until they form a paste.
Divide the gnocchi mix into 4. For each section, dust a worktop with plenty of flour and roll the mix into long sausages, about 1 inch thick. Then divide into inch-wide gnocchi. Repeat with the other sections.
Bring a large pan of water to a simmer and salt generously. Cook the gnocchi in batches, each time making sure to cook them until they float to the surface. Place the cooked gnocchi onto a sheet of baking paper while you repeat for the other batches.
Add some of the hot gnocchi water to the walnut sauce and blitz again until it's the consistency of double cream.
If you are saving some of the gnocchi for later, layer them up in Tupperware, separating each level with baking paper to avoid them sticking together. You can then keep them a couple of days in the fridge or months in the freezer.
To serve:
In a large frying pan, add 10g butter and 1 Tbs EVOO. Bring up to a high heat and add your portion of cooked gnocchi (defrosted in simmering water if using a frozen batch).
Brown for 3 minutes on each side.
Layer the walnut sauce on your plate then top with the crispy gnocchi and a final grating of cheese.
Dig in and bon appétit!!
Shortcuts:
This sauce pairs so well with parsnips I really recommend giving the full recipe a try. It makes a large quantity so you only have to go through the effort once to reap the rewards multiple times.
Alternatively, they would be delicious simply fried in butter with sage.
Keys to success:
Resist the temptation to add too much flour! It will result in a really tough texture. If you're worried the gnocchi won't hold, just try cooking a little bit of the mix in water before deciding if more flour is needed.
Make sure to defrost frozen gnocchi in boiling water before frying in butter.
As always, if you have any questions about method, substitutes etc. feel free to send me a message!
