Parsnip is a cream-coloured root vegetable related to carrot and parsley. It has a naturally sweet, earthy flavour that becomes more pronounced with roasting and cold-weather storage. Parsnips are used in soups, purées, roasts, gratins and vegetable preparations.
Peel or scrub parsnips according to their size and condition, trim the ends and remove any tough woody core in particularly large roots. They can be roasted, steamed, boiled, braised or puréed. Their natural sugars brown readily, so monitor them during high-temperature roasting.
Example: roast parsnips with olive oil and thyme, or purée them with butter or stock as an accompaniment to braised meat.
French name: panais.
This term is one of hundreds covered in depth across OCS courses, learning paths, and 1-on-1 coaching with Chef Eric.
