Today's vegetable recipe: An unusual side dish, a purée of a vegetable and a fruit, here parsnips and pears mellowed with cognac, sour cream and allspice.
Parsnip Pear Purée. Say that three times, fast. Pppppp. Now join me in wondering how to make something that looks so plain -- it's just a blob of white stuff, right? -- look as pretty as it tastes. Perhaps a plump piece of pork perched upon top? and prepared for a party? Enough with the Ps. This stuff is good.
It is also one of the most unusual savory side dishes I've ever tasted -- still, it's not 'weird'. (We know how people hate weird, right? Me too.) Mostly, you take a taste and wonder, What is that? Is it nutmeg? No, it's sweeter than nutmeg, something almost fruity.
It's also a great way to use up a surfeit of pears, 12 pounds of bruised-looking but otherwise perfect fruits purchased over the weekend for $.89. Any ideas on what to do with the rest of those pears?
PARSNIP PEAR PURÉE
Hands-on time: 15 minutes hands-on plus occasional attention throughout
Time to table: 35 minutes
Makes 2 cups
Time to table: 35 minutes
Makes 2 cups
1 pound parsnips, peeled, trimmed, cut into pieces roughly the same size
2 tablespoons butter
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon cognac or a liqueur (I used marsala)
3 tablespoons sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Salt & pepper to taste
Cover the parsnips with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter on MEDIUM. Add the pears and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cognac and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, allspice and salt and pepper.
In a food processor, process the drained parsnips and the pears until smooth. Taste an adjust seasonings.
KITCHEN NOTES
Usually, I recommend removing the woody core from parsnips but that's not necessary here, thanks to the cooking and the puréeing.
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© Copyright 2009
© Copyright 2009
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