remember recently when i reminded myself how much i like risotto and noted that i should make it more often? look who is heeding her notes to herself!
i feel like every time i write about vegetables, the story starts off with how i used to not like this particular vegetable. yeah… i wasn’t exactly a lover of vegetables as a small human, and parsnips, unfortunately, suffered the same “i don’t like those” fate as many other delicious vegetables.
so of course, when my friends found this recipe for parsnip risotto years ago and suggested we make it, i was hesitant because, “ew, parsnips”. fast forward to the part where parsnips are, of course, delicious. i mean, we’re sautéing them in olive oil and rosemary, how bad could they possibly be after that treatment?!
in this particular application, they turn sweet from the sautéing and pair beautifully with the stronger flavor of the rosemary. the whole thing turns sublime with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar over the top once you serve it.
so you can imagine my dismay when, just recently, probably around the time i was resolving to eat risotto more often (perhaps not a typical food resolution like “eat more kale” but, alas…), i realized that i had let winter slip by without making parsnip risotto. saddened, i put it on my list of recipes to share with y’all later.
imagine my delight then, to walk into the farmers’ market this past weekend and spot a charming wooden bin full of delightfully thin and twisty parsnips with a tag proclaiming them “freshly dug spring parsnips”! these were clearly not factory farm, gigantic batons of white vegetable things – just look how cute they are! they were fresh and young and dying to be in a bowl of risotto.
so now that i’ve been given a second (still seasonally appropriate) chance to share parsnip risotto with you, i won’t squander it. enjoy!
ps – more good news: i now have an email newsletter. yay! it took a bit of tinkering to get it to look the way i wanted it to so i’m very excited it’s finally ready. the signup box is over on the right, near the top. when you signup, you’ll receive an email alerting you when a new recipe has been posted here so you won’t miss a single recipe! thank you for your support of tasty seasons! it’s fun sharing recipes with you.
parsnip risotto
Save to BigOven Ingredients
- 8 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth (i use chicken)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 7.5 oz. (213 g. / 1.5 cups) chopped onion (i use one medium/large onion)
- 1.5 pounds (680 g.) parsnips, scrubbed or peeled, ends trimmed, and diced into 1/2” cubes
- 5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided
- 10 oz. (283 g. / 1.5 cups) arborio rice
- 2 5/8 oz. (75 g. / ¾ cup) freshly grated hard italian cheese, such as pecorino romano, parmesan, or romano
- balsamic vinegar, for serving
Instructions
- put the broth in a medium pot with a lid and bring to a boil. once boiling, turn down to keep at a simmer. the prevents too much of the broth from evaporating while the risotto is cooking.
- in a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat. once hot, add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent.
- add the parsnips and 3 teaspoons of the fresh rosemary. stir and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the parsnips begin to brown.
- add the rice and stir it around for 2 minutes. add the first batch of warm broth, using just enough to cover the rice and parsnips. stir occasionally, and after each addition of broth. add more broth, 1 cup at a time, when the previous cup has been absorbed. repeat until all of the broth is gone and the rice and parsnips are tender. as the risotto nears completion and is starchier, you’ll need to stir more frequently but don’t stir constantly to avoid total mush.
- take the pot off the heat and stir in the remaining fresh rosemary and the cheese.
- serve immediately and drizzle balsamic vinegar over each serving.
Notes
please use fresh rosemary in this recipe. i’ve never tried it with dried rosemary but just can’t imagine that it would be nearly as good. when i was at the store buying ingredients to make this, they didn’t have fresh rosemary…except growing out of a small pot of dirt. so now i own – another – plant. i’m not saying you have to take on responsibility for a living creature to make this recipe, but i am encouraging you to wait until you have fresh rosemary.
adapted minimally from bon appétit’s parsnip and rosemary risotto (march 2006)
