Popped along to the community garden the other day to get some veg and fennel was on offer. Honestly, it’s a veg I’m not very sure what to do with, but help was at hand, as my ‘foodie’ step-daughter was visiting and came up with this lovely, healthy dish. She was also more imaginative than I’d have been with parsnips! Enjoy!
WINTER FENNEL & CITRUS SALAD (Serves 2 as a side dish)
Ingredients:
– One bulb of fennel, finely sliced
– One grapefruit or blood orange, skinned & segmented
– One small red onion, finely sliced
– Olive oil
– Salt
– Pepper
– Acid of choice (pomegranate molasses, vinegar, lemon)
– Pomegranate seeds
Method:
– Mix finely sliced raw fennel, olive oil, salt, & pepper in a small bowl. Leave to the side.
– For the pickled red onions, marinate the finely sliced onion with a pinch of salt and pomegranate molasses (or other acid). Leave for 10-15 minutes.
– On a large plate, arrange the fennel. Top with the pickled onions, then grapefruit/orange segments, then pomegranate seeds
PARSNIP CRISPS WITH CURRY DIP (Serves 2)
Ingredients:
– 2 large parsnips
– Oil for frying
– Half a large onion
– 1tbsp garam masala
– 1tsp turmeric
– 0.5 tsp cayenne
– Salt (pinch)
– Sugar (1 tsp.)
– Sour cream (125ml)
– Mayonnaise (125ml)
METHOD:
– First, make the dip. Finely dice the onion and fry in a small pot, until translucent and very slightly browned. Add the garam masala, turmeric, and cayenne, and continue to fry for a few seconds until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
– Once cool, stir together the onion mixture with the sour cream & mayo. Add a pinch of salt and pinch of sugar to taste. Transfer to the fridge to allow the flavours to meld as you prepare the crisps.
– Preheat the oven to 200C, and peel the parsnips. Then with the same peeler, peel long strips of parsnip and place in an oven tray. Bake parsnip strips until slightly dry.
– Heat the oil and fry the parsnip strips until golden brown.
– Drain excess oil on kitchen towel and serve with the dip.
