Parsnip fritters

[desperance]

Really, nothing could be simpler.

Peel your parsnips, cut them into chunks and boil same 'til done: on the order of twenty minutes, tho' it might be less.

Add salt and pepper, and mash same. Then stir in a finely chopped onion, a tablespoon of flour and an egg. Beat all together.

With floury hands, mould the puree into flattish cakes (it will be sticky: more flour! more flour!) and fry in hot lard (or oil, but I think it's crispier in lard) until crispy on one side; turn over, and crisp on the other.

I ate these last night with oxtail stew, and they were yummy. You could add spices, other vegetables, herbs. Whatever goes well with that sweet rootiness of parsnip.

Comments

[euphoricstimuli.livejournal.com]

I've tried that before & I always fall apart on the frying side (same problem with bubble & squeak patties too.) Even if I have the heat on really really low they still stick to the bottom & all the nice crispieness ends up on the bottom of the pan. I'm not sure whether its me, or the electric hobs being a pain as usual.

btw there is a big comunity on lj called cooking. You'd be very good on it.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

My guess? It's your pans. You either need a good non-stick, or else a really well-seasoned cast iron frying pan. Anything less, the mixture is sticky and will stick.

At the moment, I'm doing belt-and-braces: I have a smart non-stick that I season regularly. Which being true, I actually fry these on a high heat, which I would also recommend as being more inclined to anti-stick. Get the fat or oil really hot first, before you drop your patty in; then let it sit for a couple of minutes untouched, let it crisp up before you give it a little nudge to loosen it. That's technique, but I would still be inclined to look at your pans first.

(All the above officious advice comes to you with full acknowledgement of the fact that I know nothing about frying on electric hobs...)

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

And presumably one could also use, say, turnips, instead? (Yes. I know. Heresy. But I prefer turnips.)

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Yup. Any root veg, I reckon. Or combination thereof.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

Were you the reason the tail of a beef ended in my meat package today? I did a freezer stock up and left the choice of what my freezer had to the farmer and she has obviously been in communication with you, because otherwise why would tails occur twice in my life in such rapid succession?

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Guilty as charged, clearly; no other explanation exists.

Also, om-nom-nom.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

I have to decide what to do with it. All I know right now is that there is no hurry and I don't want it to turn into soup. I also know it's Belted Gallloway, I guess.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

In this house, oxtail is frequently stewed with juniper berries and baby onions and such. You're right about soup; I grew up on the tinned version, and while I'm sure it can be nicer than that, it still misses the whole point and purpose of oxtail, which is to fork the meat gently off the bones. And then suck the bones.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

A slow stew tempting me to work a bit longer so that it can cook to its fullest. I think that's the perfect thing for one of those summer nights when the weather turns chill. I shall make sure I have the ingredients on hand, ready (I always have juniper and often have small onions, anyhow - it's just a question of other stewish things). My turn to om-nom-nom.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Rosemary is good also, and thyme of course (tho' I realise suddenly, I have no idea how easy or otherwise it is to maintain a herb garden in Australia...?). Carrots, baby turnips... As you say, stewish things.

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

Herbs grow beautifully here, just not for me. No plants grow for me. They know I will cook with them and they announce "I'd rather die" and then they promptly kick the bucket.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

And yes, I too do that thing of putting something slow on to cook, with the argument that I have nothing to do now but work more. I'm doing it right this minute, indeed, one last half-page before the bigos...

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

I have made parsnip fritters with walnuts in them - but my fritters do tend to disintegrate in the frying. I lose heart...

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Hmm, curious. You did bind with flour & egg? I found them very sticky in the fingers, but perfectly happy to fritt.