Sunday, April 8, 2012

Parsnip Hummus


Parsnip Hummus

A quick and refreshing alternative to traditional Garbanzo bean hummus.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds parsnips, about 4 medium sized parsnips, cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 1/3 c tahini
  • 1 T or less, to taste and preference, extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 1 small lemon, juiced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Paprika, for decorative sprinkle
  • An assortment of raw and blanched vegetables, for serving such as cauliflower, red bell peppers, jicama, radishes, carrots, beet stems,  cucumbers, etc.
  • Directions
  • 1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt and add the parsnips. Boil until the parsnips are as soft as butter, 10 to 15 minutes. 
  • 2) Using a slotted spoon, scoop the parsnips into a food processor, saving the hot cooking water*.
  • 3) Add the tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of hot water. Puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning, and adjust the salt and pepper accordingly.
  • 4) Pile the hummus into a shallow bowl.  Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.  Sprinkle with a little paprika before serving. Serve alongside a gorgeous platter of vegetables.
  • Carrot soup
  • *I always use the parsnip water for another use. After this recipe, I cooked about 2 pounds of carrots in it and poured it all into my powerful blender. I added 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 c apple juice, pinch of salt, and 2 T agave (or use favorite sweetener, such as brown sugar or omit). Delicious and flavorful carrot soup.Ground ginger sounds like a good addition for next time.

If you couldn't grow it, think twice about eating it.

If you couldn't grow it, think twice about eating it.
I've luxuriated these last couple of days in reading what I consider to be classics. It's Easter and I've read a couple of chapters of The Resilient Gardener by Carol Deppe and found meaning in most paragraphs. I've considered borrowing phrases from all of my readings but after I simply sleep on the words and let them digest, I find I can process them and come up with my own.
I only began vegetable gardening last year. Yesterday, my husband and son built another 4 x 10 raised bed, in preparation for my growing penchant for fresh, organic, know-your-source food. I'm awaiting my carefully-placed Fedco non-GMO seeds, which I consider to be a significant factor in determining a crop's worth, even more so than it being organic or heirloom. I cross-referenced Fedco's available seeds with the Cornell Cooperative Extension's guide for LI plants and ordered what I hope to be a collection of seeds that will yield my family with a substantial variety of nutrient-packed food that will grow in my south shore Long Island garden with some tending.
More posts to include my beet burgers, carrot soup, and parsnip hummus.