Parsnips, with their distinctive flavour - sweet, rich and slightly earthy - are not among the most fashionable of vegetables today.
Perhaps it's because they are not from the trendy Mediterranean but grow best in cold climates.
Parsnips may be available all year round now, but it pays to wait until winter, and after a frost too.
Freezing the live vegetable in the ground turns the starch in the root to sugar and sweetens the flavour.
Related to carrots, parsnips are native to Europe and western Asia and have been cultivated at least since Roman times.
In the Middle Ages, when sugar was a rare imported luxury and honey was expensive and long before potatoes were introduced from the Americas, the fleshy, starchy taproots of parsnips were used as a sweetener as well as a staple winter food.
Parsnips were usually served with butter and the old saying "Fine words butter no parsnips" means that nothing is achieved by fine words alone.
John Evelyn, in Acetaria (1699), recommends cooking parsnips and serving them as a winter salad with oil and vinegar, which he thought more nourishing than turnip.
Today, parsnips are recognised as a good source of fibre and they also provide some vitamin C, folate, vitamin E and other nutrients
Choose your parsnip
Choose smooth, firm medium-sized parsnips.
Some big ones can have woody cores that need to be cut out and thrown away.
They can be stored for a few days in the vegetable drawer of a fridge but they don't keep as long as some root vegetables, like carrots.
Parsnips need to be cooked - raw parsnip is unpalatable, but you don't need to peel young fresh parsnips.
Just scrub them and cut off the top.
Older ones or those with lots of tiny roots are better peeled.
Multitalented
Parsnips can be boiled, steamed, microwaved, fried, baked or roasted.
Parsnip crisps, thin slivers of deep-fried parsnip, form a garnish on many a restaurant dish.
They are good mashed, either by themselves or with other vegetables.
Spices go well with parsnips - ginger, nutmeg and/or mace are good in mashed or roasted parsnip, as are coriander seed and cumin.
Parsnips can be part of a sweet dish, too.
They can be substituted for carrots in carrot cake, spiced with cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
In The Cook's Garden (1980), Mary Browne, Helen Leach and Nancy Tichborne give a recipe for a parsnip flan flavoured with honey, ginger, mixed spice, and lemon, topped with meringue.
For centuries, parsnip wine has been the favourite tipple of many a home winemaker.
However, when I asked parsnip growers at the farmers market their favourite way of cooking parsnips, the overwhelming reply was either mashed or roasted.
Baking
Bake sliced or wedged parsnips in a little sherry and brown sugar and some finely sliced stem ginger (preserved in syrup), until the parsnips have absorbed the liquid.
You could also simmer this on top of the stove.
Roasting
I love roasted parsnips and usually include some in a medley of roasted vegetables this time of year.
Cut parsnips and other vegetables (potato, kumara, carrot, pumpkin, cauliflower, onions, garlic, or whatever takes your fancy) into pieces, toss them in a little oil and roast at about 185degC-200degC, preferably on fan grill until the edges are caramelising nicely and the vegetables tender - about 20-35 minutes, depending on size.
You need to be careful that any long, spindly parsnip ends don't cook to a blackened crisp before the rest are soft.
However, if not overcooked, they can add a nice crunch.
Something special
There are many ways of turning cooked parsnips into something special.
Steam or microwave parsnips until just tender:toss over medium heat in the juice of half an orange, a tablespoon or so of brown sugar and, if you like, a little oil.
Add an optional pinch of curry powder.
toss over medium heat in a little butter or oil and honey with a good pinch of ground ginger.
toss with sesame or nut oil, maple syrup and perhaps a dash of sherry or balsamic vinegar.
Parsnip cakes or patties
Mash parsnips (about 500g or two or three large ones), season with salt, black pepper, and flavour with one of the options below.
Mix in a beaten egg and 1-2 tablespoons of flour until stiff enough to form into patties.
Dip patties in breadcrumbs or flour and cook in a little oil over medium heat until golden.
Half a teaspoon of mace, or nutmeg or gingerHerbs such as thyme or fennel.
Use a generous half-teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin (or a teaspoon of curry powder) and the grated zest of half an orange.
mix in chopped, roasted peanuts for some extra crunch.
Spiced parsnip soup
Curried parsnip soup is one of my favourite ways of using this vegetable.
The first recipe I came across years ago was from British food writer Jane Grigson, but there are numerous versions now, including Thai flavoured ones.
As with all curries, the flavours are brighter if you roast whole spices and grind them just before using, but if you are in a hurry, use a couple of teaspoons of curry powder instead.
You can also add milk (cows' or soy) to thin the soup and make it go further.
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chilli flakes or to taste
1 tsp ground turmeric
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
3-4 parsnips, chopped
1-2 litres stock or water or a mix
1 tsp salt or to taste
to serve:
plain unsweetened yoghurt
toasted cumin seeds
chopped fresh parsley or coriander
If you are using whole spices, toast the seeds and peppercorns in a dry frying pan spice by spice until they are fragrant.
Cool a little and grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large pot and sweat the onion and garlic gently over low heat until soft, about 15-20 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium and stir in the spices for a couple of minutes.
Then stir in the chunks of parsnip to coat with the spices.
After a couple more minutes, add stock and/or water, bring to the boil and simmer until the parsnips are soft.
Purée the soup - it's easiest to do this in the pot with a wand blender.
Otherwise, pour into a processor, or use a masher.
Add salt to taste - curries often need more salt than you might think.
Reheat and serve with a dollop of plain yoghurt, a sprinkling of toasted cumin seeds and chopped parsley or fresh coriander.
