Slowly and Quietly

Parsnips are pretty ugly, really. 

                                                                     a few angles of this very photogenic vegetable bundle

What I do in my free time: I look up parsnip images on google because I forgot to take pictures of the parsnip pasta dish we made the other night, when Jem and Laura were over for dinner. (Just in case you're confused, the pasta wasn't MADE of parsnips, but more on that soon.)

Then, I decide I can certainly take my own ugly parsnip picture rather than stealing from the internet. And I can. See above. What if instead of something old, something new, something borrowed something blue it was pasta, parsnips, parsley and pepper? And bacon. I think this pasta might buoy a marriage more than old, new, borrowed and blue stuff any day. Or maybe not. Maybe some of all of it? But I digress...

This post was slow getting up because I was trying to figure out what my story was and what picture to use. Turns out, I didn't ever get a picture I really like. Though I tried. My iphoto is filled up with pictures of that vegetable beauty queen. I wrote a lot about why I might have decided to caramelize those parsnips then, but I still couldn't figure out the story. But as my favorite writing teacher, Brenda Ueland said, "The imagination works slowly and quietly." Forcing anything does NOT work. I'll just have to wait and let it sort itself out.

And even beyond revelations about blog posting and parsnips, I think we slowly and quietly come to revelations about lots of things. Like people, for example. Have you ever slowly and quietly begun to realize that you're becoming really good friends with a person you were determined to hate? I think a lot of good things happen slowly and quietly.

So if you are skeptical, you may be skeptical, yes I was skeptical too. Especially about the parsnips. But, once you see them, homely are they are, sizzling in the butter and bacon fat and taste their sweetness, more earthy and sophisticated than a carrot, you may change your tune. 

I was not skeptical ever about Jem and Laura being our friends. Even during Eric and I's crazed dash around the kitchen trying to get enough pan space to accommodate 2 lbs of parsnips, we just laughed and laughed. I feel like we've been friends with them a long time, even though it was only the first time we'd all had dinner together. You just don't interrupt that kind of laughing with picture-taking. Not that I think they would have minded. Maybe next time.

Pasta with Caramelized Parsnips. And Bacon.

2 lbs parsnips, peeled, quartered and sliced 1/4" thick
4 cloves garlic, chopped
8 slices of bacon (NOT the lean kind)
8 - 10 oz. of fresh pasta, tagliatelle or papperdelle
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 oz. farmer cheese or feta cheese (or, to taste)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Olive Oil
Sea Salt 
Pepper

Prepare the parsnips. It's important to do that before you get the rest of the stuff going. Use a sharp knife for super-thin slices. After parsnips are peeled, chopped and quartered, set them aside in a bowl.

Chop bacon into bite-size pieces and cook in a skillet. (One that will have enough room for the parsnips soon, too! We used a cast-iron skillet.) Once bacon is crispy and cooked through, remove slices from pan and set aside, allowing them to drain on a towel.  Drain off all but about 2 Tbsp. of bacon fat from the skillet and discard.

Add the two Tbsp. unsalted butter to remaining bacon fat and allow to melt over medium heat. Retrieve parsnips and garlic and add to the skillet stirring frequently for 12 - 15 minutes until they are soft and translucent and beginning to brown and crisp.

Start the pasta cooking in boiling, salted water (throw a Tbsp. of sea salt in the pot) while the parsnips and garlic are almost done, according to the directions on the package. Drain pasta when the noodles are al dente, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water first. Rinse the noodles under cold water, then return them to the pot or serving bowl.

Add the bacon and sautéed parsnips to the pasta. Stir in reserved pasta water. Add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add half the chopped parsley and give the whole dish a stir to integrate. Sprinkle the rest of the parsley on top and pass the cheese at the table.

Serves about 4 as a main dish.

PS: Caramelizing parsnips transforms them into root treasure. See below how I caramelized the leftover parsnips. I actually did this the other morning before I headed off on my bicycle, hence the tupperware.

PPS: If you're vegetarian, the thin-sliced parsnips would also be excellent sautéed with olive oil and garlic or roasted in a 350° oven until crispy and browned

parsnips like to sizzle in butter

All the Little Pieces

No contest: the 4th and 5th grade cast of Aladdin, Jr. is way more amazing than the granola recipe below. The parents and school community are too. Together we all made a lively musical production in only 35 hours or about 15 after-school rehearsals. It all culminated with a very busy tech week last week, and a weekend of performances. Directing an elementary school musical is not as easy as making the granola below, but I definitely want to do more of it. I love all the little pieces that have come together to make this show sing and dance. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to direct this production.

However, granola-making is a nice, calm activity to do in conjunction with directing a cast of forty-two, nine and ten year-olds. It's fulfilling to note I have more control while making it than I do while making children's theatre. Plus granola has that "all the little pieces" thing nailed. That's what makes this granola so good. It's the quality and combination of everything: oats, nuts, seeds, sweetener and oil that transform it into more than just a dry heap.

This recipe IS as easy as mix, spread, bake and cool (the 4th and 5th grade musical production was NOT). The olive oil/maple mixture bakes onto the oats, nuts and seeds to create a crunchy-sweet laquer-crackled surface. I suggest you try it. I'm glad it doesn't take 35 hours.

Olive Oil and Maple Granola

I adapted this very slightly from Orangette, who adapted from Nekisia Davis, Early Bird Foods, and Food 52. I have now made this granola about 7 times. I put some in jars and sent it around the country as Christmas presents a few months back.

Coconut chips, pictured here, are great flavor soaker-uppers. I hope you discover them because of this recipe. I forgot to add them to the most recent batch and we really missed them. You can cut back the brown sugar a little, but then the granola really wants the cherries. With the full amount in there, it wants the cherries less, at least to our taste. Also, take your own plastic bags and containers and buy your nuts, seeds, coconut chips, oats and maple syrup, etc. in bulk at your local Whole Foods, co-op or natural grocery store in the bulk section. All the little pieces will taste better, the earth will be grateful and so will your debit card.

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds

1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds

1 cup unsweetened coconut chips

1 ¼ cup raw pecans, whole or chopped

¼ cup to ½ cup sesame seeds

packed ½ cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt
¾ cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
½ cup olive oil
Dried cherries, optional

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. (The stuff is really sticky, so don't skip this step.)

In a large bowl, combine the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut chips, pecans, sesame seeds, light brown sugar, and salt. Stir to mix. Add the olive oil and maple syrup, and stir until well combined. Spread evenly on the prepared sheet pan. It will be very thick. (Don't worry that's just how it is.) Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the granola is golden brown and toasted, about 45 minutes. (You can tell when its done by the smell. If it starts to smell scorched, take it out.)

Take the granola from the oven, and sprinkle with more salt to taste. Cool completely. Add dried cherries if you like.

Store in an airtight container. Will keep at room temperature for up to a month.

Enjoy with milk (my favorite), yogurt or straight out of the container (that's how Eric and I eat it most).

Makes about 7 cups.

PS: The parents and the kids surprised me with these onstage as I gave my post-show speech...

That community has my heart.

At the Start

The Rules: (*note* I've had to change these from extreme to less extreme over the last few months. Hopefully, you don't mind. And if you do, I don't really care...)
  1) I have post every week. as often as I can. (when the muse is involved, I can't be too picky...)
2) Each post MUST include a recipe. Update: Each post MUST include a recipe or a food-related adventure.

That's pretty much it.  Now I just have to actually do it.

I'm starting with a vegetable soup recipe, since I think a storm of desserts and baked goods and bads may follow.

I modified this slightly from its original recipe here which called for green garlic. I couldn't find green garlic, so I used regular garlic (we had a surplus), spinach and leeks.

Leeks are funny. Their crusty woody ends peeped above our sorry little yogurt container compost bucket like squat, green legs. There were no houseplant murders involved in the making of this green soup. There was a great wilting of a large amount of spinach however, but it was for the best.


Many thanks to my mom who left behind homemade chicken stock as a result of making her signature chicken enchiladas for us during her recent visit.

Garlic, Leek and Spinach Soup

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter 
10 - 15 medium garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chopped leeks,  white and light green parts only
1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock 
12 oz. baby spinach
 ½ Tsp. sea salt
Dash of cayenne pepper (optional) 
½  cup heavy cream or half and half


In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium high heat until melted and hot, but not brown. Add garlic and leeks and cook until tender and translucent.

Add stock and quickly bring to a boil. Add sea salt. Turn down the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the mixture from heat and add the spinach all at once. Do not stir. Wait five minutes, spinach should be nicely wilted atop the steaming liquid.

Blend in small batches in a blender. If you have an immersion blender, blend right in the pot. Add more salt and cayenne pepper or regular pepper to taste.

Slowly reheat and serve.
Stir in a dash of cream for richness if you like.

Serves 4.