Honey Roasted Parsley Roots with Spiced Buttermilk

These caramelised, honeyed parsley roots paired with a warm, aromatic spiced buttermilk have just the right mix of earthiness and sweetness to make a crave-worthy and show-stealing side dish that’s also very easy to make. If you don’t have biryani masala on hand, garam masala is a good alternative in a pinch, but the flavour will be less complex. If you can't find parsley root, parsnip can be a good substitute.
Parsnips and parsley roots are different root vegetables in the umbellifer family, often confused due to their similar white appearance. But while the parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is an ancient cultivated vegetable in its own right, the parsley root is a specially bred form of root parsley. Parsnips are sweeter, starchy, and carrot-shaped with a distinct core, while parsley roots (or Hamburg parsley or Dutch parsley) are thinner, earthier, and taste similar to a mixture of parsley, celeriac, and carrot. Parsnips are sweeter, starchy, and carrot-shaped with a distinct core, while parsley roots (or Hamburg parsley or Dutch parsley) are thinner, earthier, and taste similar to a mixture of parsley, celeriac, and carrot.

Honey Roasted Parsley Roots with Spiced Buttermilk

adapted from Delicious

Roasted Parsley Roots	Spiced Buttermilk
1 kg Parsley roots or parsnips, peeled, halved lengthways 2 tbsp Unsalted butter, melted 2 tbsp Olive oil 2-3 tbsp Honey Thyme or rosemary sprigs Freshly milled black pepper	50 g Unsalted butter 2 tbsp Olive oil 2 Brown onions, thinly sliced 1/2 tsp Sea salt 1 tbsp Biryani masala 1 Garlic clove, chopped 500 ml Vegetable stock 4 Cardamom pods 1 Star anise 500 ml Buttermilk 40 g Plain flour

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Melt butter and oil oil in a pan over medium heat. Place the parsley roots in a large baking tray and toss with melted butter and oil. Drizzle the honey over and add thyme or rosemary sprigs to the parsley roots. Bake for 30 minutes or until caramelised and cooked through.
Meanwhile, prepare the spiced buttermilk. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add sliced onions and sea salt, and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes or until caramelised and golden. Add the biryani masala and chopped garlic, and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add stock, cardamom and star anise, and increase heat to medium. Simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced by half.
Whisk buttermilk and flour together in a bowl. Strain onion mixture, discarding solids. Return liquid to a clean saucepan, and place over low heat. Whisk in the buttermilk mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, for 20-25 minutes until thickened. Season to taste.
Spoon the spiced buttermilk onto a plate and top with parsnips. Drizzle over any remaining pan juices, thyme or rosemary sprigs and a few grinds of black pepper.

6 comments:

Judee 20/2/26 13:08: Very different and interesting recipe. I've only used parsnips in soup.
Lola Martínez 20/2/26 13:15: La chirivía me gusta, más aún con ese punto dulce que le has puesto con la miel. El suero de leche tendría que probarlo para opinar, pero tiene muy buen aspecto.
Ananka 20/2/26 13:42: They look good, I do like parsnips :-D
eileeninmd 20/2/26 13:50: I am not sure if I have ever tried parsnips, sounds delicious.
Take care, enjoy your day and have a great weekend.
Tom 20/2/26 14:49: ...yet again, something that I've never had!
DEZMOND 20/2/26 14:57: Although I do love parsnip as well, I do prefer parsley root as it is not so extremely aromatic as parsnip which can sometimes be even perfumy which me no likey. I could and I do eat parsley root every day.