PARSNIPS

PARSNIPS THROUGHOUT HISTORY have been underappreciated. In Europe they fell out of favor, seen as the awful roots of subsistence farming, or worse, as animal feed. Happily, they’ve gone through a revival, and farmers’ markets are piled high with the sweetest of parsnips, just waiting to be roasted, or pureed, or made into fritters. The best place to store parsnips is in the ground, where their natural defense against the cold somehow makes this sweet vegetable even sweeter. You can find parsnips all winter long, and they’re as easy to peel as a carrot. I celebrate vegetables like the parsnip that have made a major comeback. Enthusiastic eaters everywhere have had fun rediscovering their awesome flavor.