Parsnip recipe combines carrots, parsley, cumin

Family gatherings come in all sizes, and ours is XS. Mom, her three children, our spouses and children make 14. One tableful.

Mom decided we would celebrate Ben's 50th, although the date had come and gone. She declared it Margo's 50th too, though hers was a year away.

Mom had ordered hats, and ordered us to wear them. Laila slid the plush white chicken over her hair, letting its yellow legs dangle below her shoulders. The rest of us snapped into goldfish, panda, elephant.

We turned up the music, slurped down the Jell-O shots; we retold bad jokes and good stories. We scraped our chairs around the table for salmon, lamb and couscous. Also parsnips, who had convened their own family reunion, inviting in their cousins carrots, parsley and cumin. They wore sauce.

Hats askew, we sang "Happy Birthday," twice, and lit 100 candles. We all breathed in, leaned in and gazed into the glow. Our gathering didn't seem small, but vast and brilliant.

This savory side dish unites members of the Apiaceae family.

Parsnip Family Reunion

1 pound small parsnips, peeled, trimmed

1 pound carrots, peeled, trimmed

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

6 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the whole parsnips and carrots. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash together garlic, salt, pepper and cumin. Whisk together with orange juice, oil and lemon juice. Set aside.

When vegetables are cooked, drain. Slice parsnips and carrots into 1/4-inch-thick ovals.

Set a wide skillet over medium heat. Melt butter. Slide in parsnips and carrots. Cook, turning now and then, until most of the slices have turned golden brown, about 8 minutes. Pour in the orange juice mixture. Reduce heat to low; cook, tossing, 1 minute.

Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Food on 10/26/2016

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