Have a parsnip, Sweetie!

     With the coldest temperatures of the Winter now upon us and wind chills near zero, it is colder outside right now than a well digger's watch pocket!  What better time than now to make a warming stew to stave off the chill outside?  I found an interesting recipe on line with the help of my new iPad and printed out a Chicken Stew with Cider and Parsnips. You can click on to the highlighted title to get the complete recipe.  I chose it for both its simplicity and its ingredients.  There is the usual cohort of things you would expect, like carrots, onions, and of course, chicken.  But I was intrigued by the inclusion of parsnips.  So I went on an investigative search and here's what I found.



 

     The parsnip, Pastinaca sativa, is a root vegetable in the carrot family with a similar shape but a more pale color.  Like its relative, the carrot, parsnips contain less starch than potatoes and are notably sweet with a flavor some liken to butterscotch or honey.  It contains distinctive aromatic molecules and is a favorite for use in stocks, stews and soups.

     Native to Eurasia, it has been a staple in the diet there since the time of both the Greeks and Romans centuries before the introduction of the potato.  It was considered to be a food of the aristocracy and thought by some to even be an aphrodisiac.  Before the advent of commercially processed cane sugar parsnips were used as a sweetener in baking cakes and preserving jams in Britain and was also fermented into "Tanglefoot" wine (the name coming from its effect in the imbiber) and also a beer in Ireland.

     Parsnips are traditionally a winter root vegetable, picked after the first frost, due to the process whereby its starch is converted into sugars when exposed to cold temperatures.  So parsnips harvested during the Winter are naturally sweeter than their autumnal counterparts.

     But a word of caution should be heeded in their handling.  First, larger parsnips contain a woody stem that should be cut away after the vegetable is cut longitudinally.  And more importantly, serious chemical burns and blistering can result on exposed skin to the leafy sprouts.  Wild parsnips are an invasive species that can cause serious consequences to the inattentive wanderer.

     Last evening's chicken stew was wonderful and the cider gave it a gentle tang.  But I may have to add a lot more parsnips to achieve the full aphrodisiac affect :])