The Parsnip - it's the Cooks & Partners Ingredient of the Month.

Image credit to CUESA

What would a Christmas luncheon with friends and family be without this classic veggie favourite. Covered in a glaze and married with other root vegetables, the parsnip should definitely be gracing your plates this December. Parsnips are also good for health. They are rich in vitamin C, folate and manganese so at least you can eat them and not feel guilty. Not many things you can say that about during the festive period.

The parsnip is related unsurprisingly to the carrot and celery. It looks almost like an anemic carrot and if you smell a parsnip, you can smell its aroma isn’t to dissimilar to a stick of celery. They taste sweet and peppery. Their sweetness varies accordingly with the temperature of the root. If the root gets cold close to the harvest time, they taste much sweeter.

Most of the flavour in the parsnip is just below the skin. We would therefore just recommend scrubbing them rather than peeling, keeping more of the outer layer and thus the majority of the flavour.

Parsnips can be eaten raw although it tends not to be very common. In our opinion they are best roasted. Roast them in hot oil, season and along with other root vegetables.

Parsnip Pairings

Below are some of the spices, herbs and fruits combos that compliment the parsnip. At our Cooks & Partners cafes this month, our signature dishes will be featuring the parsnip. Pop in and give one a try.

Try your parsnips with:

• Sweet: maple syrup and brown sugar.

• Spices: nutmeg, ginger, garlic, and pepper.

• Herbs: parsley, sage, and thyme.

• Fruits & Vegetables: carrots, apples, potatoes, carrots, pears, spinach.

• Savoury: pork, chicken.