24. Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

 Check out Bunny Eats Design and their Our Growing Edge Monthly Blogging Event, where they show off people trying new and exciting things! Like me and parsnips.

 

 

 

 

I had the most colorful Easter lunch!

Shameful admission alert: I had never had a parsnip until Sunday. I have been missing out! I had no idea they were so sweet tasting! It was almost like eating a sweet potato. I was so happy to discover yet another vegetable that I love.

I’ve always like roasting root vegetables. I think it brings out their very best flavors without making them mushy. This dish was so light and fresh tasting, and I love fresh thyme on anything! I can never get enough.

look at all that roasted glory

Roasted Parsnips and Carrots with Thyme

12 oz parsnips
12 oz carrots, peeled
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp fresh thyme
3 large bay leaves, halved
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the parsnips and carrots in half lengthwise if they are thick, then cut them into 1/2 inch slices. Put them in a large, heavy roasting pan with the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat all the vegetables well.

2. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Take the pan out, uncover it and turn the vegetables with a metal spatula. Cover again and roast for 20 minutes more. Uncover, stir, and continue to roast until the vegetables are browned, about 10 minutes. Toss them with the parsley in the pan, then transfer to a serving bowl. Serve warm.

9. Asparagus-Quinoa Risotto

Ah, risotto. The perfect labor of love. It’s so creamy. So rich in flavor. So melty in your mouth wonderful.

I had never made risotto before this post, but I had seen it made by a friend of mine. The key is to never stop stirring. If you don’t have time to stand at your range and watch a dish transform in front of you, then risotto isn’t the best idea. Just like any rice dish it takes about 30 minutes, but the constant stirring makes it feel longer. But the reward is so great! In the end you get a bowl full of hearty, creamy rice and veggies.

And since asparagus season is upon us, it’s a perfect compliment to risotto, giving it a nice crunch when everything else tends to be mushy. The use of a little white wine also adds to the depth of flavor, making the dish bright and a little sweet rather than feeling heavy in your mouth. I seriously cannot wait to eat the leftovers.

Asparagus-Quinoa Risotto

1 qt veggie stock
1 lb fresh asparagus
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine (I use Pinot Gris)
1/2 tsp salt
freshly cracked black pepper

1. Pour the stock into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Cut off 3 inches of the tops of the asparagus. Drop them into the simmering stock to blanch for 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus to a plate and cover to keep warm. Keep the stock barely simmering.

2. While the tips blanch, thinly slice the remaining asparagus stems, discarding the tough bases. In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil and saute the onion and sliced asparagus stems until soft. Add the quinoa and rice and saute, stirring to coat the grains with oil. Add the wine and cook until dry. Add the salt and season with pepper.

3. Add ladlefuls of stock to the pan, one at a time until the liquid is absorbed after each ladle before adding more. Start testing the rice for doneness about 20 minutes from when you added the wine. When the quinoa has thrown off its haloes of germ and the rice is just tender (about 30 minutes total), remove the pan from the heat. Serve the risotto topped with the blanched asparagus tips.

5. African Jollof Rice

So I hadn’t actually planned on making two recipes today, but I knew for dinner it was gonna be rice and beans. I thought, “Surely Robin has a solution to this!” I flipped through the book until I found a recipe that I had all the ingredients for and when I threw in some beans it wouldn’t ruin the party.

Fuel for a Kenyan runner

This recipe saved the day! I made it with red rice and added a can of tri-colored beans: black, red kidney and pinto. What’s fun about this recipe is the coconut milk. It’s an African staple that helps the rice get super puffy and have a deeper flavor. It also helps to break down the tomatoes into a more creamy sauce.

Without over-flavoring the dish with too many spices, the natural tastes of the carrots and onions shine through. The ginger is amazing; don’t skip it! This dish was really fun and easy to make since everything cooks in one pot.

African Jollof Rice

1 tbsp peanut oil
1 cup chopped onions
4 large Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 large bay leaf
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup long-grain rice, brown or red
4 oz sliced button mushrooms
1 large jalapeno, chopped
1/2 tsp salt

1. In a heavy-bottomed, 2 qt sauce pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, carrot, ginger and bay leaf, and stir until bubbling. Add the milk and bring to a boil, then add the rice, mushrooms, jalapeno and salt. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover tightly.

2. Simmer the rice for 40 minutes, then check to see if all the liquid is absorbed. Take the pan off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes, covered, to finish steaming. Serve hot.
The recipe serves four and there were leftovers. I guess the runners weren’t too hungry tonight.