PARSNIPS

In their heyday, parsnips were a starchy staple to fill the tummy, but they also gave our meals a touch of sweetness. They were served up as vegetables from the Middle Ages through to the eighteenth century, but they would also appear in jams, puddings and tarts. Parsnip wine had numerous fans too, as did parsnip beer. We love their distinctive, nutty flavour and perfume, but it doesn’t appeal to everyone. While you are very unlikely to find parsnips on the menu in France, the Italians discovered their charm and included them in ragù di manzo e pastinaca (beef and parsnip braise cooked in wine) and cremoso pastinaca sformato (a bit like a parsnip soufflé cooked in a shallow dish). They also found parsnips to make fine fare for pigs destined for prosciutto crudo.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Buy loose parsnips rather than prepacked, and pick out the young and fleshy ones with smooth, creamy, blemish-free skin. Larger parsnips tend to have rather woody, fibrous cores that can make for tough eating.

HOW TO STORE THEM

Like other root veg, store in a cool, dark place but not the fridge. They’re best eaten as soon as possible after you buy them, as they tend to dry out and become wrinkly rather quickly. It’s a good idea to only buy as many as you can eat within a day or two at most.

WHAT’S IN THEM?

A large raw parsnip (about 160 g/5¾ oz) has about 365 kilojoules (87 calories), 3 g protein, no fat, 16 g carbs (8 g sugars, 8 g starches), 4 g fibre, 30 mg sodium, 672 mg potassium, and a low GI (52) when cooked; the GL is low (8).

WHAT ELSE?

Try them raw. You can grate the perfect parsnip like a carrot and make a salad with dried fruits (dates are delicious). You’ll find they’re less parsnip-pungent this way, but not as juicy as carrots.

HERO RECIPES

Lamb shanks with winter vegetables and parsley-mint gremolata (here )

Parsnip, celeriac and potato mini bakes (here )