blurry eyes into focus, birds onto wing, non-believers into believing fools, snow melt. losing your coat, looking for your heavy coat, putting on your light coat, wait it isn’t cold today. leaving the door open but questioning the breeze. gray days, blue days, sun is still hot days, snow-blind days. strangers in the alley, kids skating on the pond, deer hooves in town. frozen windowsill, frozen rosemary, cactus thriving. sitting on the highest hill and counting on the seconds of light gained every day.
i have a penchant for all things vegetable, as well all things pasta, starch, dumpling, warming, and inviting on a plate. an even fuller disclosure: parsnips are one of my favorite acquaintances this time of year. to couple them with carrots is a fate they surely strive for – and somewhere amongst the earth and sweetness are the lyrics to a winter well celebrated.
- 1 lb parsnip
- 1 cup flour + 1 / 2 cup flour (as needed)
- 1 / 2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tbl freshly chopped cilantro
- carrot romesco:
- 1 lb carrots
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 / 4 cup sliced almond
- 1 / 4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbl red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 / 4 tsp red pepper flakes
- water, if needed
- preheat oven to 400 degrees. peel parsnip, roughly chop, and add to a small stove pot. cover with water and boil 20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- meanwhile, coat carrots with 1 / 2 tsp oil, salt and pepper, and roast on a large baking sheet for 20 minutes - remove when tender.
- once parsnip is soft, drain well and mash. in a large bowl combine parsnip with first half of flour, parmesan cheese, and cilantro. combine until a dough begins to form. continue to add more flour, little by little, and knead until the dough sticks together.
- on a floured surface separate dough out into balls (about the size of a baseball), and roll each ball into a rope, about ¾ of an inch thick. cut rope into 1 inch segments. roll each segment across the tines on the back of a fork, creating indentation, and set aside on wax paper. repeat for remaining dough. this recipe created about 5-6 dozen gnocchi for me.
- heat a large pot of salted water to boiling, add gnocchi and boil until floating, 1-2 minutes. remove and drain.
- to the base of a food processor combine carrots, garlic, almond, olive oil, vinegar, smoked paprika, red pepper, and additional water if needed to further thin.
- heat carrot romesco in a small saute pan and toss gnocchi until coated and warm.
Each time I read your words about nature, I feel like you live around the corner from me. The weather has been so unpredictable here as well! I hardly know what to do on most day. Yesterday, I heard birds singing on my way to work – the poor things must be so confused as well…. I worry when I think about their fate in upcoming weeks, as the temperatures inevitably drop again.
Ksenia – there is definitely a sort of confusion that accompanies the random switches in temperature. Wishing you well in the madness of weather. xo
This is brilliant Danielle! Would love to make this, I can imagine how tasty it must be.
Nina, thank you so much! You have given me the brightest smile this morning. ♥
having such a marvelous time right now catching up on your blog. I have no idea how you do it… cranking out these photos and recipes so quickly and yet still so beautifully. carrots and parnsips are indeed a wonderful combination. bravo, my friend.
Emily, it means so much to have you with me, reading along as I navigate the strange avenues of my taste-buds and the season. It’s appreciated more than you know. Happy weekend lovely. ♥