Parsnips
Posted by terrepruitt on May 26, 2011
When my friend posted a celery soup recipe in my comments of my celery post she mentioned she puts parsnips in soups as thickening agents because potatoes were bland so she uses the parsnips for a little additional flavor. I didn’t know what a parsnip was. I had heard of them, and I knew it was a root vegetable but I had never used one. As we were “talking” on my blog back and forth, I was thinking, “I’m going to stick to using a potato.” But as I was shopping I decided to try making my celery soup with parsnips. So I bought two parsnips.
I realized I didn’t know if I should peel it or not. So I just decided to use my produce brush on it, which has really stiff bristles so it somewhat peels it. When I started to cut it up, I realized it was very firm, not as soft as a potato. As I was chopping it occured to me that it smelled like a carrot. While I was chopping it I realized I needed to look it up and learn about what parsnips are.
I laughed when I read what Wiki had to say because it is obvious parsnips are related to the carrot. They even slightly resemble carrots except they are lighter and larger. Although cited information states:
“The parsnip originated in the Mediterranean region and originally was the size of a baby carrot when fully grown. When the Roman Empire expanded north through Europe, the Romans brought the parsnip with them. They found that the parsnip grew bigger the farther north they went.”
In a serving (about a cup sliced) there is about:
100 calories
24 grams of carbohydrates with 6.5 grams of dietary fiber.
Parsnips are a great source of vitamin C and seven different vitamin Bs. They also contain the essential mineral manganese and also Potassium, which is crucial to heart function. This really is a nutritional power punch, because they also contain magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, and copper. WOW!
I am seeing information that says you can roast them as you would potatoes, but I wonder how good that would be. Have you tried that? I am sure you will read about it when I do. I really love roasted sweet potatoes now that I have finally found them. Parsnips might be my new love.
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niachick said
As always, thanks for the info. We love parsnips…I like to eat them raw, just like I would a carrot. I love the jicima, too. Have you ever tried that? I love them raw…sweet but the texture of a potato. As far as roasting parsnips, I’m sure that would be fine. We usually put them in a mixture of cut up vegetables and stir fry them in coconut oil. I love roasted sweet potatoes, too, and also mashed sweet potatoes which I put in to a 9×9 square pan, adding a few marshmallows on top (when I’m feeling frisky) and baking them until the marshmallows melt. Yum yum. That’s usually just at Thanksgiving though.
You’re a peach! Or perhaps today, you’re a sweet parsnip!
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terrepruitt said
I have never used/cooked or eaten (to my knowledge) a parsnip before putting it in my soup. I would not think to eat one. It never occured to me. I would have probably just gone through life without them had my friend not mentioned using them in soup. I was even planning — as I mentioned — using a potato, but at the last minute I thought, “What the heck?” I am looking forward to trying them roasted. There were a lot of recipes for roasted parsnips. I will just roast them like I do all my other veggies. I usually opt for roasting because I am either busy and need to be out of the kitchen or I am cooking something else. So it is an easy way for me to get the veggies cooked while I’m otherwise occupied. 🙂
The reason I have never eaten sweet potatoes before was the way you describe them is the only way I had seen them prepared. Eating them with marshmallows on on top has never appealed to me. They are very sweet so for me, I don’t like adding to the sweetness. I have found when I roasted them, that I like the savory seasonings better. Makes them less sweet.
I love jicima, but I never think to buy it. I don’t know that I have ever had jicima cooked.
Thanks for visiting here!
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