Parsnips might look like carrots, but they are more closely related to parsley and celery. Some people describe the sweet, aromatic taste of cooked parsnips as similar to celery-flavoured butterscotch. Unlike carrots, parsnips are white or cream because they lack beta-carotene to give them colour, but they are a good source of B vitamins, folic acid and fibre.

Because of its ability to thrive in the coldest winters, the parsnip has been cultivated for centuries across the UK and Europe. Its edible, fleshy root was eaten as a vegetable and used as a sweetener for desserts, drinks and syrups before cane sugar became available and during sugar rationing throughout World War I and World War II. 

Parsnips can be eaten raw, but they are more commonly served cooked. They can be baked, boiled, pureed, roasted, fried or steamed, stir-fried with the leaves, or added to soups, stews and casseroles for a sweet, earthy flavour.

Peeled and chopped parsnips will turn dark when exposed to the air, so cover them in water to avoid discolouration if not cooking immediately. If adding raw parsnip to salads, select smaller ones, which will be sweeter. Larger parsnips are best cooked and very large parsnips should have the woody core cut out and discarded.

Parsnips also make great chips. Peel them into ribbons using a potato peeler then deep fry in small batches for a minute or two, until they are crisp and golden. Sprinkle salt and dried herbs and spices over the chips before serving.

You can find parsnips at Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market at the Patlins Gardens, W & B Hart, Bull Creek Organic Garlic and Virgara’s Garden stalls. Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market is open on Sundays from 9am to 1pm at the Adelaide Showground, Leader Street, Wayville.

W & B Hart, Bull Creek Organic Garlic and Virgara’s Garden also sell parsnips at their stalls at the Willunga Farmers’ Market, which is open on Saturdays from 8am to 12.30pm.

Also open on Saturdays from 8am to 12pm is the new Gawler Farmers’ Market at the Gawler Visitor Information Centre, 2 Lyndoch Road, Gawler.

Lyndall Vandenberg, marketing and communications co-ordinator for the Willunga Farmers’ Market, has shared this recipe for Baked Moroccan Parsnips with Carrots, Pumpkin and Chickpeas which she says brings out the best flavour of parsnips.

“Why do I love roast vegetables?” she asks. “For starters, they feel like contentment – hearty, substantial, rib-sticking, but when something as simple as chunks of fresh, seasonal, local parsnips are coated with a little bit of olive oil, sprinkled with a fabulous mix of spices, and then roasted, they come out chewy, nutty, sweet and savoury.”

Roasted vegetables. Photo: supplied

Baked Moroccan Parsnip with Carrots, Pumpkin and Chickpeas

Ingredients

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
300g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
200g chickpeas, freshly cooked
2 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
3 bay leaves
extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp red chilli flakes
75g dried apricots, chopped
350ml water
salt to taste
coriander leaves
1 tbsp preserved lemon, finely chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 200C. Place carrots and parsnips in a large bowl. Add spices, bay leaves, olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well. Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes.

Add pumpkin, stir to combine all ingredients and return to oven. Continue cooking for 40 minutes. Next, add dried apricots, chickpeas and water. Return to oven and cook until vegetables are soft and liquid has evaporated.

To serve, stir preserved lemon through vegetables. Finish with plenty of coriander leaves. Serve as an accompaniment to beef tagine.

Serves 4 to 6