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January 21, 2008
Pennsylvania Association of Parsnips
For some reason I got it into my head that it would be fun to cook a parsnip. I'd never had one before, at least not alone (as opposed to buried in a dish, not as opposed to social parsnip-eating vs. eating parsnips alone) and it's a running joke that the name of my union, which sounds a lot like parsnip, should actually be changed to parsnip.
So... I bought one and took it home. Tried a bite, and was surprised by how much it tastes like a gingery carrot. Now be honest: how many of you have cooked a parsnip? In the last year? Ever? It's a funny looking vegetable, not a carrot, not a turnip, definitely not cute. Carrots are cute. Squash are cute. Parsnips are not cute. But they are yummy. Sooooo...
I created a dish for my parsnip:
200 grams parsnip, chopped
200 grams Quorn tenders
veggie broth
ginger, garlic
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
a tiny little squeeze of juice of fresh orange
a really small dash of cinnamon
Boil but do not overcook. Parsnips should still be crunchy.
While I was in the process of losing my parsnip virginity, I had a truly wretched fight with an old friend over email. Really, really bad. But I was still on track for getting lunch on the table on time (for those of you who are new here, MR has very specific feeding times, and while he does not howl like my giant tabby cat if he's not fed on time, it throws off his schedule and he gets pretty hungry. Consistency is one of the things that make it possible for him to be as CR'd as he is.) Until MR came down the stairs and we both noticed how very low volume that parsnip dish was.
Usually MR eats extremely high volume meals. The journalists who come over to interview us usually can't finish and MR meal. He doesn't always have to eat that much, but if a meal is very low volume he'll leave the table not feeling quite fed. As it turns out, parsnips are very calorie dense. Like 150 calories in 200 grams. Wow. Doesn't mean you can't eat them (there are no forbidden foods!) but that does mean that you're not going to have much volume if you do.
As it turns out, MR doesn't like parsnips anyway.
I volunteered to throw together another lunch quick, and with help from MR I made a HUGE dish with squash, broccoli, asparagus, Quorn, eggwhites, nuts, basically an attempt to drown him in veggies. He was happy.
But what shall we do about the parsnip?
We had the same idea at about the same time.
"We'll feed it to Danny."
I wonder if it is offensive to assume that he'll eat anything. I mean, he's no longer a starving anarchist. But he is trying to eat healthier, and he's not addicted to high volume food the way MR is. On Saturday night when he came over I fed him some of those mushroom things I made up and he ate them raw, in spite of my repeated attempts to take them away and put them in the microwave. He was really hungry, I guess, and he said he liked them.
Of course the parsnip dish has no mushrooms. Maybe I'll throw some in, just to be on the safe side.
Today is technically a day off, so I'm finishing the house work and Susie and I are going to the gym together. I was feeling a bit sick at my stomach this morning when I woke up (no I am not pregnant) so I didn't go to Pilates class, but I'm going to do my Pilates video that MR got me for Christmas later on today. I did something weird to my ankle at the gym on Saturday while making an attempt to run, I think on too high an incline. So MR iced my foot for me last night and as long as I don't go too crazy on the treadmill I trust it will be okay.
Edward is on his way up to Scranton for negotiations, and I'll be heading up there tomorrow. Going to be in Scranton a lot soon. The Pennsylvania Association of Parsnips: We do it the old fashioned way. We fight the boss. And win.
Posted by april at January 21, 2008 5:46 AM
Comments
Good Lord, life without parsnips? You haven't lived!
They're absolutely my second favourite veggie (the top one being brussel sprouts of course). Parnsips are a bit high, G.I. wise...but darn it, they're so yummy :-)
Posted by: Lindsay at January 21, 2008 9:00 AM
I had never liked parsnips until I tried a recipe found on The Great Big Vegetable Challenge site. It is not CR friendly, but simple to make and totally delicious: 400 gms parsnips, peeled, cut into 1" chunks & steamed for 5 mins. Stir/mix with 1 TBsp sesame oil, 1 TBsp honey & 1 TBsp sesame seeds. Spread out on foil-covered tray and bake at 350 F for about 35 minutes. Major yumminess! JD :-)
Posted by: Judith at January 21, 2008 10:54 AM
Mashed parsnips make a great alternative to potatoes. The main thing to remember--don't let them sit too long in the fridge before cooking them and avoid the rubbery or especially stalky ones. There is something very nourishing about parsnips and they are oh so very good in stews. Mmm...
Kay
Posted by: Kay at January 21, 2008 9:20 PM
Glad to hear that the humble British parsnip has crossed the pond to great acclaim! Here it is traditionally served roasted around the Xmas turkey, though during the last war a shortage of bananas meant it was pressed into use as a pudding ingredient!
Posted by: Linda at January 22, 2008 12:30 PM
I absolutely LOVE cut like fries and baked. Delicious!
Posted by: Erin at January 22, 2008 5:21 PM
Parsnip is also terrific grated up with carrot and celeriac in a raw salad, with sesame and poppy seeds and a lemon juice dressing.
Posted by: Sara at January 22, 2008 10:51 PM
Oh my god. We did not have a fight. You simply sent me a snarky, provocative email and I responded in kind. I love & respect you no less, despite our differing ideologies on this particular issue.
Posted by: Jon at January 23, 2008 2:32 PM
April check this out ;)
Cigarette toxins wipe out anti-aging gene: U.S. study
http://tinyurl.com/yt8v4a
stay away from smoke :D
Posted by: matt - uk at January 24, 2008 4:05 PM
I was raised in the Uk and adore parsnips. Sad to say the price is too high so the only time I buy them is when they are on sale.
Peg
Posted by: peg d at January 24, 2008 8:33 PM
Good luck with organizing the parsnips!
Meanwhile, here's a discussion you might enjoy: the 86 comments on this thread about carbs, fat, calorie-counting, and weight loss...
http://weightoftheevidence.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-if-willpower-matters-little-in.html
Posted by: Kathy W. at January 24, 2008 11:07 PM
hello,
i just started CR a few days ago. I am enjoying it so far, and cron-o-meter is helping a great deal.
Thanks for the blog, it's encouraging.
Posted by: Bethkate at January 25, 2008 10:05 PM