Come December and we can sense the festive vibe in the air already. With one of the biggest festivals of the world, Christmas, right around the corner, we can't keep in our excitement. Decorated X-mas trees, shiny fairy lights, candies, stars and bells – storm the markets and with all the glitter and glam around, we are already excited about the Christmas feast. The mouth-watering array of plum cakes, candies, tarts and savouries seems to be the perfect way to bid goodbye to the year that has been. While the pandemic may have played a spoilsport in your bid to have a grand party, who said you can’t have an intimate celebration at home with your close ones and a grand Christmas feast?
While all your Roast chicken, mice pies, mulled wine and plum cakes might be there, you can always tweak the menu with a little new addition. For instance, have you tried roasted parsnips as an appetiser yet? Slightly sweet and super versatile, parsnip is a winter vegetable that is perhaps one of the most underrated seasonal veggies. Most often seen at Christmas feasts and many winter brunches, parsnip’s slight earthy flavour makes it a popular pick for roast or grilled veggie along with carrots. It’s quite a traditional side at a Christmas feast when roasted and can also be made mashes or as gratin.
When served with salads and greens, parsnip and carrot emerge as distinct, vibrant veggies that break the monotony of the usual veggies. So if you are planning grand Christmas feast and looking to move away from the usual sides of mashed potatoes and other roast veggies, we’ve got you sorted with the perfect recipe of Roasted Parsnip and Carrots.
Now the first step to roasting parsnip would be to first peel it. And you may think that it could be peeled and cooked like any other edible root vegetable. Well, yes it can but except the larger ones that come with a tough central core. So to handle them, it is better to quarter the peeled parsnips lengthwise and remove the core with a paring knife before cooking them. That’s perhaps one of the secrets to the most tender roasted parsnips.
This recipe of roasted parsnips and carrot is an amalgamation of the two winter veggies, cut into matchsticks and tossed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. The punch of flavour is added by a mix of spices and herbs including shallot, chives, rosemary, thyme, and garlic along with butter, which are mixed and added to the roasted hot vegetables. Isn’t it super quick and easy?
Find the full recipe here. Try it this Christmas and let us know your experience.
Merry Christmas!
