Pear and Parsnip Smash-up

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds parsnips, scrubbed with clean vegetable brush under running water
½ teaspoon salt
1 large pear, gently rubbed under cold running water
3 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

Wash hands with soap and water.
Peel the parsnips. Cut into ½-inch cubes. Place in a medium saucepan. Add salt and water to cover parsnips. Cover saucepan and cook on medium for about 15 minutes or until parsnips are starting to soften.
Core the pear. Cut into ½-inch cubes. Add pears to the parsnips. Continue to cook until parsnips and pears can be easily pierced with a fork.
Drain. Add butter and stir to mix butter with parsnips and pears. Mash with a fork or potato masher. Serve warm.

Notes:

Parsnip is a root vegetable closely related to the carrot and parsley. The parsnip is a long, tuberous root with cream-colored skin and flesh. It looks similar to a creamed colored carrot. They are typically sold with a wax coating to prevent them from losing moisture. Leave the coating on until you are ready to cook parsnips.

Parsnips can be roasted, sautéed, boiled or steamed and mashed.

Parsnips