Recipes are living things, always in need of review and reinvention. Working on a dish at Yestermorrow can be a funny process, since I don’t want to repeat menu items too frequently - so like a home cook might I come back to a dish every few weeks to work on it, whereas in a restaurant I might work on it consistently for several weeks. 

Recently I’ve been working on a recipe for parsnips, a vegetable that I think doesn’t get enough credit for its intense flavor and spectacular performance in our climate. Parsnips are a strange vegetable that haven’t really had their day in the way that kale, beets, or radicchio have - but they have a broad history that includes everything from use as animal feed for improving meat and dairy quality to being turned into wine and medicine. 

What I’ve been trying to do is defamiliarize the parsnip by pairing it with different flavors, textures, and combinations that leave behind the parsnip’s associations with butter, cream, and purees - not that there’s anything wrong with those dishes.

I began by roasting parsnips whole with paprika and oregano, smashing them flat, charring one side, and then finally dressing it with a thinned tahini sauce. After a couple iterations of this the real breakthrough came - mint. Mint’s serious herbaceousness can contend with the parsnips’ strong earthiness. A creamier, more acidic tahini sauce with garlic, lemon, salt and water pairs classically with mint in North African, lower Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisines. 

More could be done here - almonds, cilantro, and toasted chiles for example. A slightly more expensive route could also include pine nuts, barberries, or pomegranate seeds, just to create a few more layers of flavor and association. But the backbone is there: the beauty of this basic combination is the earthy sweetness of parsnips, the bright aroma of the mint, and the bitter/sour combination of tahini and lemon. The parsnip gets to shine in a way it never does as side-kick to a piece of roast beef.

2.5 pounds parsnips, whole and washed

Neutral oil

Salt

Tiny pinches Paprika and Dried oregano

Olive oil

½ cup tahini

3 cloves garlic

A splash of lemon juice

A smaller splash of olive oil

Pinch of salt

Warm water

A big handful of fresh mint - more than you think you need.

Big pinch of sesame seeds to garnish

Lather the parsnips with the oil, just enough to coat them. If some are substantially larger than others, cut in half lengthwise - otherwise roast whole at 425F until easily pierced with a fork. Remove and set aside. When cool enough to handle without hurting yourself, place on a well-secured cutting board (try putting a damp kitchen towel underneath it) and press down hard until the root is about half an inch thick. Cut into large bite-sized pieces, toss in olive oil, dress with a bit of oregano, paprika, and salt, and return to the oven for 6 minutes.

In a food processor, blend tahini, lemon, garlic, and salt. Add the olive oil and enough warm water to reach a thin, creamy consistency - viscous but pourable.

Toss the hot parsnips in most of the sauce and a bit of the mint and pile onto a plate. Pour on the rest of the sauce and gracefully as you can, and finish with the rest of the mint and the sesame seeds. Enjoy when spring seems far away.

Ian, chef and garden steward