How to Cook Parsnips

How to Cook Parsnips 300x225 How to Cook Parsnips A part of carrot family, parsnips have sweet earthy flavor and high nutritional value. Either you eat it uncooked as an addition to salads or go for a cooked version; parsnips have great health benefits and hence are recommended to be included in daily diet.

Parsnips are easy to prepare and can be served in different interesting manners. There are several ways to cook parsnips. Here is a recipe that you can try at home:

Recipe for Parsnips

Take some parsnips and wash them properly. Now peel them and cut each parsnip into half. Slice the pieces into lengthwise slabs of nearly half inch thickness.
Now place the sliced parsnips in a dish plate and put it in the microwave. Allow it to cook at high temperature until they become tender.
Once the parsnips become tender, remove them from the microwave. Take a frying pan and heat some butter on it. Fry the parsnip pieces in the butter till they turn golden brown. Make sure you do not fry them on a very high flame because there are chances that they might get charred.
Keep flipping the sides of the parsnips to ensure all the sides are properly cooked. Once they turn crispy brown, take a fork to find out whether they are fully cooked. Now your parsnip dish is ready to be served.
You can serve the parsnips with butter, salt and pepper.

Boiled Parsnips

Boiled parsnips are most nutritious. So, if you want to go for a healthy way of cooking then opt to boil the parsnips. For this, you need to do the following:

Peel the parsnips and slice them into quartered-chunks
Place the chunks into boiling water with a pinch of salt. Make sure the parsnips get fully soaked in the boiling water.
Allow them to boil for about 15 to 20 minutes until the parsnips become soft.
To ensure they are not overcooked, check the texture by using a fork.
Now drain the water and transfer the cooked parsnips into a bowl.
They are best served mashed and mixed with butter

Parsnips in soup

Parsnips are perfect ingredients to add to soups. All you need to do is:

Peel the skin and slice them into quartered-chunks
Stir in to the soup while cooking
It is better to add them in the last minutes of cooking time to ensure they do not get overcooked.

Tip

Parsnips are like potatoes that turn dark if left unpeeled for a long time. So, if you have peeled them and think you will take some time for preparing other ingredients, then you must soak them in water with a little lemon juice.