Mashed Parsley Root & Sweet Potato

Another new-to-me vegetable -- parsley root!

These knobby roots (see the picture below) are full of parsley fragrance.

A recipe scan showed that root parsley (both names are used) is most often used in soups and stews with parsnips, turnips and other root vegetables. Twasn't the season for such, so I paired a sweet potato and the parsley root in a simple mash alongside grilled chicken.

These parsley roots, however, were very fibrous. So even though a knife slipped easily into both the sweet potato and the parsley root after 15 minutes of cooking, the parsley root just wouldn't mash, even with an electric hand mixer.

Maybe if it cooked longer? I don't know, it was pretty woody.

The good news is that the combination has so much flavor that no fat is needed -- it's rich and flavorful even without butter.

FOR THE RECORD ... This is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn's Kitchen.

MASHED PARSLEY ROOT & SWEET POTATO
Bookmark or print Mashed Parsley Root & Sweet Potato
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves 4 in small servings


Salted water to cover
8 ounces sweet potato, peeled and cubed
8 ounces parsley root, peeled and cubed
Salt & pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil while prepping the vegetables. Once it boils, add the vegetables, cover and let cook for 15 minutes. When fully cooked, drain and mash. Season to taste.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 50 Cal (6% from Fat, 15% from Protein, 79% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 11 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb9; 17 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 54 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1/2 point
(c) Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade
Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Another food item I haven't heard of!! You know I love it when someone finds something new.

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  2. AnonymousJune 14, 2006

    I've never heard of that either. Very interesting--I'd like to try it someday.

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  3. Great picture! I've never heard of it either.

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  4. Will have to look for this. It sounds good. Like trying new things.

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  5. On the back of my Cook's Illustrated Mag they had some lovely picures of various root vegetables and to my surprize was one I had not heard of,parsley root. A few days later I was redoing some pots and it was time to pull out the parsley and throw the dried seeds ( I love cutting the "going to seed but still looking good stems" around the house in vases alone or as a filler) around. I decided to inspect my parsley roots at this time and much to my surprize there were these "parsley roots",puny I must admit. I haven't decided what to do with them but I've cleaned them up and trimmed off small roots. At this time my plan is just to scrub and roast with olive oil and sea salt.

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  6. Hi Phoebe ~ Talk about 'foraging' for food in your own back yard! Report back in how they turn out, will you please?

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  7. The get rid of the fibre from parsley
    I used a sieve (like in making apple sauce) after the food processor chopped all the cooked soup.I think the core of the root gets the woody parts when the plant is matured with a main centre stem ready to set seed.

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  8. Szalony KucharzMarch 29, 2009

    Never heard of parsley root, eh? Where I come from this nice little white thing is considered a must ingridient in various stock soups. Taste much better than those yellowish overgrown parsnips.

    The only thing you can do about the woody toughness of this veg is simmering, prior to peeling of course! :o)

    And below is a recipe for a very lean vegetable soup containing parsley root:

    4 Tbs olive oil
    2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
    1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half (optional)
    2 medium carrots, peeled
    1 root parsley, peeled
    1 small celeriac, peeled and cubed
    a few leek leaves
    4 cups of water
    salt, pepper
    parsley leaves to garnish

    Saute garlic and onion on heated oil, in a medium stockpot. Pour water, add vegetables, season with salt and pepper, bring to boil and simmer for about 40 minutes or until carrots become soft. It is supposed to be a clear soup, so Do not blend unless you're a toothless 102yo granny who can't bite and chew anymore. Serve with spaghetti, taggiatelle or any other long pasta.

    Smacznego!

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna