I know it's winter, because we're all cooking root veg again. But, like Kate, I'm finding the end of the year galloping onwards quite unexpectedly fast. Did we know it's Advent from the weekend? I definitely feel surprised at that.
This is partly on account of having taken a holiday in mid-November, which I don't think I've ever done before. It was a good decision, not least as I was getting thoroughly bored with cooking for myself and it's a chance to go for the two classic options of holiday cooking:
a) Massive bun in lieu of at least one proper meal (thank you Sally Lunn's)
Or b) mostly just cheese and accoutrements, plenty of wine, pear casually balanced
The dark blobs in this are figs from a Fig Ball, which is a thing you will see in fancy delis (and apparently Lakeland) and looks like nothing much - but I highly recommend them to you for fancy winter cheese accompaniment, they are incredibly caramelised weeny figs. A splendid stocking filler for adults if you are that type of giver.
That felt very holiday-y, and autumnal, and I swanned around on Sunday collecting for a "shrine" of autumn things for the brilliant online walk-in-company #DistanceDrift...
But now I'm back, and it's veg week, and there are parsnips on the menu, so it's winter, right? Luckily the goddess Sabrina Ghayour has given us a parsnip recipe that mixes fancy (four elements!) with simple (took me all of five minutes to do them all, bar roasting), and zhuzhes up the winter options no end. Also makes a little tahini go a long way, which I appreciate after some recipe books have been a bit on the 250mls of tahini side in their instructions lately. I like it, but it's pretty spendy at that point.
Baked parsnips with tahini
Firstly: split some parsnips and bung them in oil, bit of salt, into oven, 200degrees, 20-35 mins. [NB I think longer. You may peel yours if they are elderly, I just can't be bothered. I chunked mine down fairly small as underdone parsnip is a misery; otoh this is the only bit of hot-cooking you're doing so there's no problem just giving them more time if needed. Super forgiving.
Secondly, take half as much tarragon as parsley, and whirl it with oil and lemon. Or just chop it up and mix inna mug if you're me and it seems too much washing up faff to do otherwise.
Thirdly, pomegranate seeds. For once I didn't just buy a weeny punnet and I was glad. They are plumper this way, and it's a good recipe for plenty of pom. It does always look exceptionally bloody in the kitchen though.
The fairy liquid bottle is really appearing in my pics again, isn't it? The kitchen's feeling a bit cramped tbh.
Fourth-and-finally, mix one tbsp tahini with a splash of warm water, a squeeze of lemon, and four tbsps yoghurt.
You're meant to have this as a side, but I just did rice with it, and it was a good midweek dinner. Scatter the pom, splodge on the green sauce and the white sauce, devour.
It's beginning to look a lot like side dishes that wouldn't be out of place round about 25th December. Wow. I am not ready.
Not that it matters, we've decided no big family Christmas this year. Big relief. Rather hollow and sad at the same time. Oof.
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