Parsnip puree is a great side dish for all meals, especially Sunday dinner. If you think of a semi sloppy veg dish, similiar in consistency to bread sauce, this is it. Ideal for mopping up gravy or for adding a subtle sweetness to your plate. Parsnips are often relegated to roasting or boiling but they have so much more to offer. Like all root vegetables they are hardy and very versatile. Most of the things you can do with potatoes you can do with parsnips.
In this recipe you only really need one skill and that is to keep an eye on the pan. This is going to be cooked in milk or a mix of milk and cream. A heavy bottomed pan is best for this as you don’t want any hot spots which could catch the milk. It goes without saying that this recipe does carry an above average calorie count so serve occasionally 
The recipe quantities are down to the volume of parsnips you are cooking. First peel and top the parsnips. If they are large, consider removing some of the centre in case it is woody. Chop into rough chunk and then drop into the sauce pan. Only just cover with milk (or milk and single cream mixed). Lightly season, easy on the salt in case you don’t have unsalted butter for later. One nice extra at this point is a little freshly grated nutmeg. Turn on the heat at low and don’t allow the pan to get above a gently simmer. Once you can feel the parnsips give easily with the point of a fork, you are done, probably 15 – 20 minutes.
Take off the heat, add unsalted butter and blend. Check and adjust seasoning, then you are ready to serve. If you have a while before serving the main meal then leave in a warm dish and maybe consider adding the butter now rather than before blending. Put the butter on the top and don’t stir in until ready, this prevents the top changing colour. Another way of keeping the colour is to plate the puree using a piping bag, filling the bag while it is still hot and keeping it somewhere warm.
Without saying, all the peeling and trimming are very welcome in your wormery or main compost bin.
