Michael - Parsnip Hummus with Parsley - Turkish

[Guest guest]

Michael- you want to do the test run on this?

OK, I was kidding about the parsnip hummus. It turns out I'm a fool...

One of the Turkish Aunties sent me a recipe!!!! She didn't know I was

kidding!!!!

Chupa

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Parsnip Hummus with Parsley - Turkish

1 pound parsnips (about 6 medium or 4 large), peeled and cut into 1-

inch chunks

1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 3 large cloves)

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice

4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Tahini Sauce

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

 

 

 

 

 

In a medium saucepan, cover the parsnips with water and bring them

to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the

parsnips for about 20 minutes, until they are very tender when

squeezed with a pair of tongs or pierced with a fork. Drain the

parsnips into a colander, reserving 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid

or water.

Transfer the parsnips to the work bowl of a food processor fitted

with a steel blade. Puree the parsnips with the reserved cooking

liquid, garlic, lemon juice, butter, olive oil and cumin until smooth

and creamy, for about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the

bowl a couple of times.

Season the puree with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the puree into

a serving bowl and cool it to room temperature for about an hour.

Use the back of a large serving spoon to create a well in the center

of the puree, big enough to hold about 1/2 cup. Spoon the Tahini Sauce

into the center of the well. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

 

Makes 4 Cups

 

AuthorNote: Hummus versions abound, but most - except for some Turkish

recipes - are made with chickpeas and tahini. Hummus means chickpea in

Arabic and it is taken very seriously in the Middle East, where people

debate questions such as whether the chickpeas should be peeled before

pureeing or whether chilling the tahini ruins its texture.

In New England, parsnips are the first spring crop - before spinach,

nettles or fiddleheads. Farmers like to harvest parsnips after

they've " wintered over " because the freezing ground makes the sugars

more intense. The sweetness of the parsnips paired with the bitter,

nutty tahini and earthy cumin is just divine.

 

Source: Chef/Owner Ana Sortun, Oleana Restaurant, Cambridge, MA from

her book Spice Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, Reagan

Books/Harper Collins, 2006

Formatted by Chupa Babi in MC: 12.21.06

 

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