Here I`ve cooked parsnips, maybe the world`s most under estimated vegetable, in three versions in order to get a nice texture contrast but also to avoid food waste. A soft, buttery puré is topped with spicy panfried parsnips and crispy, deep fried peel. Sweet root vegetables and nduja is one of my favourite combinations. The spicy, Italian puré is made from cured pork sausage and is a wonderful ingredients that packs a lot of flavour in just a little bit of product used and even less effort.
Ingredients
- 400 g parsnips
- 4 dl milk
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 dl oil (for deep frying)
- 3 tbsp butter
- 10 g parmesan
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp nduja
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 1 tsp honey
Method
- Peel the parsnips and cut them into 4 lengthwise (or more if they are big). Save the peel for the deep fried topping!
- Add the parsnips, a pinch of salt and a garlic clove (crush it slightly with the side of a knife) to a pot. Cover with milk. Simmer on low heat for a couple of minutes before half of the parsnips is lifted out and onto a plate. Continue to simmer the rest until they are completely soft. Stir now and then to avoid the milk burning.
- Use a sharp knife and slice the parsnip peel into thin sticks (like matches or a thicker julienne). Make sure they are completely dry before frying. Heat up the oil to a medium/high level in a pot (check if it`s hot enough by dipping a dry herb leaf or the end of a wooden spoon. If it bubbles immediately, it`s ready). Add the parsnip peel and fry until golden. Lift out carefully and add to a plate with kitchen paper. Sprinkle with salt while still hot.
- Grate the parmesan. When the boiled parsnips are soft drain the milk and set to side. Add 2 tbsp of butter, the parmesan and a bit of the warm milk back to the pot. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender. Add milk until you have a smooth, soft puré. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat up olive oil in a frying pan. Fan fry the parboiled parsnips on relatively high heat until they have a nice colour. Add nduja (the amount depends on the spice level of your nduja) and a knob of butter ro the pan and stir around until everything is covered. Season with a little salt and pepper.
- Add the puré to a serving plate and top with the pan fried parsnips, the sauce from the pan and the deep fried peel. Finish with fresh basil, a little honey and more grated parmesan.
