I didn’t grow parsnips this year (nor have I ever – they’re on my list of Crops to Plant One Day in the Nebulous Future). But our CSA baskets have been FULL of them. According to the owner of the farm, this is only the second year they’ve grown parsnips, but their success was “amazing.”
Of course, my hubby won’t touch them with a 10-foot pole. He won’t even eat them roasted, glazed with a bit of butter and brown sugar, which is really my favorite way to prepare them.
So I baked a cake.
Parsnip Cake
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (you could use agave syrup if you don’t have maple, but maple tastes best)
3 eggs (if you wish to substitute a flax gel* in place of 1 egg, you could)
2 cups all-purpose flour (you could sub out 1/4 cup of white flour for whole wheat, if you prefer)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
3 cups parsnips, peeled and grated
1 apple, peeled and chopped finely
Juice of 1 orange
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two loaf pans and line with parchment.
Melt butter and cool slightly. Add sugar, maple syrup, and eggs and mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking powder and spices and combine. Fold in parsnips, apple, and orange juice and stir until evenly distributed throughout the batter. Pour into prepared loaf pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
(*To “make” an egg out of flax, mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed in 3 tbsp water and let sit until it gels, about 5 minutes).
And that is how you get someone to eat their parsnips! 😉
Do you grow parsnips in your garden? More importantly, do you EAT parsnips? What are your favorite parsnip recipes?
