The carrot seems to always serve as a bright filler food, a prop to the peanut butter sandwich, a honeyed, candied, and glazed accompaniment to make it palatable, and mostly that vegetable that parents force upon their kids. But it never seems to be the star of its own show.
Have you ever witnessed a carrot in its moment of glory? A fresh carrot pulled right from the ground -- its dirt wiped on a pair of jeans -- with its juicy crack and earthy fresh flavor.
The carrot is a taproot: a vegetable whose large, main root grows straight down underground. Above ground, the branched stems feather out into lacy, green leaves.
The bright orange vegetable is known for its seemingly endless resource of carotene, which we absorb as vitamin A (what gives skin its golden hue). Carrots are also rich in dietary fiber, antioxidants, folic acid, magnesium and more. They’re a veritable vitamin cocktail.
Beyond their nutritional value, carrots meld spectacularly with herbs; they hold cumin, juniper, coriander, and peppercorns marvelously and prop up any other vegetable in purees and soups, which is exactly what makes this particular recipe so flawless. It’s a perfect medley of carrots and parsnips roasted with herbs and spices, then blended into a smooth puree.
Parsnips, a root vegetable and relative to the carrot, look like white carrots; they have that same sweetness, but also subtle hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. Not to mention, the puree has all of the comfort of buttered mashed potatoes without all of the starchy carbs.
Enjoy!
Summer Carrot & Parsnip Puree
Serves 6
Ingredients
- ⅔ pound parsnips peeled, coarsely chopped
- 1 pound medium carrots peeled, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ onion, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup organic chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup water
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- nutmeg
- spoonful of crème fraîche
Directions
- Start by coarsely chopping all your vegetables and slicing your garlic.
- Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the vegetables and water.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, turn down the heat to low, and simmer the covered pot for 25-30 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are soft and tender, use your immersion blender to puree.
- Then, add one last tablespoon of olive oil, along with some salt and pepper to taste. Puree until smooth.
- Sprinkle on nutmeg and dot with crème fraîche. Serve as is or cool and reheat later in an ovenproof dish.
