carrots & parsnips with cumin vinagrette

Remember when I said I was going to give up orange things?

Oops.

I tried.  Honestly.  I really did.  The prospect of having beta carotene stain my skin a permanent shade of clementine was enough to scare me into eating only green and red and yellow and purple things for a whole two weeks.  And then I relapsed.  Yes, I've had nary a morsel of chocolate.  Haven't had a cookie, either.  And not a single slice of crusty, chewy bread.  But orange things. I just can't quit the orange things.

But if you're gonna be bad, it better be worth it.  And these roasted carrots and parsnips are the closest thing to perfection in a vegetable side-dish that I've had in some time.  (Besides brussels sprouts. Those babies are untouchable.)  Whitney and I enjoyed these a few nights ago with her favorite wild rice blend and a whole roast chicken.  Yes, that's correct.  I shamelessly made Whitney my date night chicken in a last-ditch attempt to get her to leave Brian for me.  It almost worked.

This recipe originally called for beets instead of parsnips, and I took a couple of liberties with the vinaigrette as well.  The original calls for a sherry vinegar, but I didn't have any, so I just used red wine vinegar.  It also calls for whole cumin seeds, toasted and then pulverized. I usually have whole cumin seeds, but I couldn't locate them.  (Who borrowed my cumin seeds and never brought them back? Return them and I'll accept them gleefully, no questions asked.)   I do think that the whole cumin seeds would add a deeper flavor to the vinaigrette, if you use them.   But if you don't have them, mine was great even with just ground cumin.

So now that all the carrots are gone, I resolve to start over.  Tomorrow.  Rae and I are making butternut squash risotto tonight for dinner. (If we succeed, more on that next week.)


Roasted Carrot & Parsnip Salad with Feta
Adapted from Hugh Acheson's A New Turn in The South
Serves 4-6

For the salad:

1 teaspoon salt
1 pound carrots, peeled
1 pound parsnips, peeled
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

For the vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Peel the carrots and parsnips. Make sure your carrots and parsnips are about the same size. I left my carrots whole and sliced my parsnips vertically.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil, add ½ teaspoon of the salt, then add the carrots and parsnips. Blanch for 1 minute and remove to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool, remove and set aside.
4. Toss the carrots and parsnips with olive oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Place the Dijon mustard in a bowl and whisk in the olive oil, then the lemon juice and the red wine vinegar. Add the cumin and the mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The vinaigrette will last for 10 days in the fridge.
6. Remove carrots and parsnips to serving dish and drizzle in vinaigrette. Toss. Top with feta and chopped parsley.

p.s.  Happy Birthday to my first roommate, Sophie!  I wish I could celebrate with you again this year like we did here.

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