Logic, Canned Pie, Reading.

This is a bit ridiculous, because we had a new toilet installed, we needed new flooring. The flooring guy came yesterday and had to remove the toilet to place the linoleum. However, after quite a long while, it was finally done. The floor looks really good, like stone tiles, and the toilet is back in place. Mind you the place was covered in dust because he had put something on the floor and then later ground it. Place was filthy.  Not quite the same as the picture, but very similar.

Had a memory brought back yesterday, a friend on Facebook mentioned he was having Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie for his evening meal. My first husband loved those although I was never keen. Preferred to make my own. But it took me back more than 40 years when I used to prepare them for him. Don’t know if this picture is the same, he talked about a complete meal, the ones I remember you still had to make a vegetable.  Should get myself some beef kidney – haven’t bought any in a long while.

I just finished the last book in Trudi Canavan’s Traitor Spy trilogy, Traitor Queen. I enjoyed it but I found it rather hard going because the point of view changed so frequently in each chapter. The usual thing, you just got interested in character a when you had to change to character b and so on. In this case there were so many POVs it was almost dizzying. You notice the person in a cloak once more. I am not sure who is designing these covers, but they are getting somewhat boring, there have been so many guys in cloaks, either blowing in the wind or just disguising the face as in this cover. I have now started re-reading Elizabeth Moon’s The Legacy of Gird which is part of her Pak’s World books. I’ve really been enjoying these again and as I keep saying, wish I could get them as ebooks.

Roasted Parsnips

Simply Recipes

Posted by Elise on Dec 8, 2009

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a fabulous class, taught by and in the home of local cooking maestra Evie Lieb. In the class we covered many dishes, but my favorite was the Roasted Parsnips with Horseradish-Herb Butter. I love these parsnips! Note to those who run from horseradish - try it anyway. I can't distinguish the horseradish from the flavors of the parsnips and butter, and neither could my parents until I told them what was in it. The flavors of the ingredients are a perfect complement to each other.

 

Note that parsnips at the end of the season (February vs. November) can have a woodier center, which no amount of cooking can soften. If this is the case with your parsnips, you might want to cut some of the center part out and discard before cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds of parsnips, peeled and cut into 2 1/2 inch batons
• 4 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup of stock - turkey stock, low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth (for vegetarian option)*
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 4 teaspoons drained, bottled horseradish (how to make homemade horseradish)
• 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 Tbsp minced chives
• 1/2 small garlic clove, minced.

*If cooking gluten-free, use homemade stock or gluten-free packaged broth.

Method

1 Pre-heat oven to 400°F. In a large roasting pan, toss the parsnips with the olive oil, salt and pepper. (Use a roasting pan with sides no more than 2 inches high.) Add the broth, cover with aluminum foil and roast, stirring once or twice, until the parsnips are tender and the stock has evaporated or been absorbed, 20-45 minutes (depending on how tender the parsnips are to begin with). Check often to avoid their getting mushy - especially if they are to be reheated later.

2 Combine the softened butter with the horseradish, parsley, chives and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Toss the warm roasted parsnips with the horseradish-herb butter and serve.

3 The parsnips (with the oil, salt, pepper, and broth) can be pre-cooked in a covered container in the microwave for 5 minutes. Transfer to oven to finish cooking in a much shorter time. You may want to uncover them to help evaporate the liquid when in the oven.

Yield: Serves 4.

Have a great day