Roasted Chimichurri Parsnips

Parsnips look like white carrots, but taste like magic. They are peppery, slightly floral, and just a tiny bit sweet. I love them pureed or in soups, but simply roasted is one of the easiest and best ways to prepare them.

And if you want to take them up a notch even further? Toss them with some freshly made chimichurri sauce!

If you've spent any time on this blog, you've probably already encountered chimichurri sauce. My love for this garlicky herb sauce runs deep. I've used it as a quick pasta sauce, a fish taco-topping, and a marinade. It's even great with roast chicken!

Blitz up a quick batch of it (it takes seconds--everything into a blender!) and then use it all week long to make your meals taste amazing.

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Spiced Roasted Carrots with Ras el Hanout

Last winter I shared with you a recipe for popcorn with dark chocolate, almonds, and ras el hanout--a North African spice blend that is one of my firm favorites.

In that post, I actually talked about how I fell in love with it when I used it on some roasted carrots in place of the cumin that had run out earlier that day.

It took me a full year to realize that while I may have mentioned that recipe for the Roasted Carrots with Ras el Hanout...I never actually shared it with you!

What a tease! Am correcting this today, and I urge you to give it a try as soon as possible.

Ras el hanout is a somewhat sweet and savory spice mix that's absolutely wonderful with roasted vegetables. For this dish, I roughly peel the carrots (I used gorgeous multi-colored rainbow carrots, but any kind will do!), then rub them with olive oil, salt, and the spice. I also add a bit of cayenne because I love heat, though you can skip it if you don't.

Into a very hot oven they go for about 20-25 minutes, depending on how fat your carrots are (mine weren't very fat at all). Give them a toss about halfway through--you want to get the char marks on all sides, and then pull them out when they start to look just a tiny bit wrinkled.

I serve them all jumbled on a platter with a side of whipped Greek yogurt sprinkled with sumac or sesame seeds or whatever else is on hand.

(The tangy yogurt with the sweet and spicy carrots is perfections. Seriously.)

If you have some fresh mint, a few leaves torn on top would be lovely.

Serve this as a side with a lovely roasted main, and you'll have a wonderful winter meal.

Shopping tip: Ras el Hanout is pretty commonly found at well-stocked supermarkets like Whole Foods, online, or at spice shops. Note that the mixes can vary based on the spice combination, so shop around and find the one you like best.

Personally I go for the ones that are a little sweeter without too much cumin or turmeric (so look for something brown--not yellow). If you can't find it, Indian Garam Masala OR Chinese Five Spice would also work well in this recipe (each with slightly different, but similar, flavor profiles.) Buy Ras el Hanout online here.

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Loved this recipe? Here are three other vegetable recipes you might like:

• Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Italian Salsa Verde
• 4-Ingredient Potatoes au Gratin
• Mushroom & Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini

And let's connect so you can find out the next time I post! Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates.

Thanks so much for reading

Roasted Carrots with Ras el Hanout
Serves 4, as a side

Ingredients
2 pounds medium-sized carrots, peeled
Extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ras el hanout
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Greek yogurt & flaky sea salt, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the carrots and arrange on a large metal baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil, then sprinkle with ras el hanout, cayenne, and salt. Toss carrots to coat evenly.

Roast 15 minutes, toss once, then roast another 10 minutes, or until carrots are slightly charred and wrinkled. 

Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Serve with Greek yogurt on the side for dipping.

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Soy Sauce Vegetable Pickles

I mentioned recently that I've been playing around at home with Banh Mi style sandwiches. I gave you the recipe for the spicy chicken that I like to use in these, and now I'm going to share with you an easy way to make the homemade pickled carrots and pickled mushrooms that give this sandwich that tangy crunch. 

These pickles would also make a great addition to burgers or bbq pulled pork sandwiches; you can even add them to noodle soups!

The recipe is super quick and you can actually use the same batch of brine to make both the carrots and the mushrooms. This would also work with other vegetables like turnips, radishes, and parsnips, so feel free to improvise.

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Soy Sauce Vegetable Pickles
Adapted from Momofuku by David Chang

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup red wine or white vinegar
2 cups water
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 2-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
2 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced into even sized pieces (such as shitake, oyster, trumpet, baby bella, etc.; can also use 2 cups julienned carrots, radishes, turnips, or parsnips.)

Combine the sugar, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and peeled ginger in a large, heavy pot. Add the sliced mushrooms and turn the heat to medium. Let simmer for 30 minutes, then let cool to room temperature in the pot.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms to a clean glass jar and top off with just enough of the pickling liquid to cover them. Cover and refrigerate. Will keep for at least 1 month. Brine can be immediately reused to pickle another batch of vegetables such as carrots, turnips, etc.

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Creamy Parsnip and Carrot Puree

Over the past few months, I've grown more and more fond of parsnip as a side dish mainstay. Though on the grocery store shelves it looks like carrot's pale, wimpy twin, the flavor is surprisingly good and addictive. Parsnip is sweet, like carrot, but with rich floral and herbal undertones that pair beautifully with a number of meat dishes.

Parsnips are lovely roasted or added to any variety of soups and stews, but my favorite is this puree, which was born of necessity when I noticed a fading pile of root vegetables in my refrigerator. Equal parts carrots and parsnips (you can also add in potatoes, turnips, yams, or celery root if that's what you prefer or have on hand) are simmered in a combination of milk and chicken broth until fork-tender, then pureed with butter and more broth until smooth, and golden yellow. The result is a creamy puree, flavorful enough to make mashed potatoes jealous.

I make a bowl of this early in the week and keep it in the fridge as an instant side dish, ready to accompany herb-roasted chicken, heady beef stew, or whatever else I'm making that day.  The sunny yellow color also does wonders to brighten up a dish (particularly helpful with the main course is something like muddy soup or braised ribs).

Want another idea? This same recipe, thinned with the entire amount of broth and perhaps a bit more, essentially becomes a creamy soup.

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New to Always Order Dessert? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates by filling in your address in the box on the right. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading! 

Creamy Parsnip and Carrot Puree

Ingredients
3-4 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
3-4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
1/2 bunch fresh thyme, tied with a string or in a cheesecloth pouch
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions
Combine parsnips, carrots, chicken broth, thyme, and garlic in a large pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, covering with the pot lid angled so that it allows steam to release. Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the carrots and parsnips are completely and equally tender.

Fish out the bundle of thyme and discard. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the pot, reserving the cooking liquid (don't worry if the milk has separated a bit--it will all puree smoothly).

Add the cooked vegetables (including garlic) and the 1/2 cup of butter to the base of your food processor, and puree until smooth, adding the cooking broth 1/2 cup at a time until it reaches a desired consistency (about 2 cups total).

Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.

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Kitchen Tip: How to Roast Beets

It's prime beet season and the earthy (and incredibly affordable!) jewels are everywhere. While beets can be prepared in any manner of ways, my absolute favorite way is to roast them. Unlike boiling, which tends to wash them out, roasting preserves the gorgeous natural colors, keeps the tenderness intact, and deepens and enhances it's characteristic earthy sweetness.

The bonus is that roasted beets can be prepared in a large batch all at once, then stored in the fridge for a bevy of uses over the coming week. Think sliced into salads, paired with tangy goat cheese as an appetizer, sauteed in hot herbed butter, mashed into ravioli filling, or (my favorite) pureed and baked into chocolate cake. Roasted beets are in fact so versatile that they're actually sold that way at the grocery store, but there is no need to spend extra bucks to have someone do the work. With just a few quick steps, you can learn to roast a perfect beet every single time.

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