Dear Parsnips,

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry it has taken so long. I'm sorry I've overlooked you in all your wispy, homely grace. I'm sorry I haven't grown you, ever, never thought twice about you when I paged past your seed in the catalog. I'm sorry I hardly ever buy you, and that when I do, you're shoved into a pan with all the others, roasted, hardly allowed to shine. And of course, I'm sorry that I ripped this recipe out of Yankee Magazine eleven months ago, and that it's taken me until now. Because Maple Syrup-Roasted Parsnip Bisque is absolute heaven, and I really should have known.

It's pretty obvious, when you start by roasting parsnips with olive oil and maple syrup and salt, that things are going to be good. It gets even more clear when you make the stock—parsley, onion, carrot, a bay leaf and a handful of peppercorns. When you mix the two together—when you drain the stock and add you—golden, roasted parsnips—things really start to come along. And as you simmer and puree, add a glug of cream and simmer again—well, then you really know.

So here's to you, parsnips—to a future of growing and buying and cooking—and to your endless possibilities.

MAPLE SYRUP-ROASTED PARSNIP BISQUE

I ripped this recipe out of the January/February 2009 issue of Yankee Magazine. It has everything I look for in a soup: simplicity, balance, just enough heartiness to satisfy. I've made a few tweaks and I've also cut the recipe in half—big batches of soup tend to languish around here—but if you have a big family, go ahead and double it. I have a feeling it'll disappear.

1 and 1/4 lbs parsnips, washed, trimmed, and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
1 medium carrot
1 small onion, halved
1/2 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 and 1/4 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small casserole dish, toss together the parsnips, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup, and the salt. Roast for roughly 45 minutes, or until the parsnips are tender and golden brown.

While the parsnips cook, get out a soup pot and combine the water, carrot, onion, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and cover the pot, and let the vegetables simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the broth and return it to the pot, discarding the vegetables and spices.

Take the parsnips out of the oven and add them to the broth, making sure to pour in any extra oil and maple syrup along with them. Add the remaining maple syrup and the white pepper and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Puree the soup, either using an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor or blender, and return it to the pot. Add the cream, season with salt to taste, and simmer another 10 minutes. Serve hot.

The Local Food Report: make it official

The first farmers' markets were last Saturday. I have whispered this, I know, several times, but I wanted to make it official: The farmers' markets are open in Orleans and Provincetown, and I, for one, am thrilled.

Last Saturday, I came home with the following swag: one bunch of fennel fronds, a bundle each of overwintered parsnips and carrots, a bunch of Ron Backer's asparagus, two leeks, five shoots of spring garlic, four scallions, a pound of rhubarb, one head of butter lettuce, and a stunning spring bouquet. On my night off on Tuesday [insert squeal here!], I roasted the vegetables—all but the lettuce and asparagus—with the last of our sweet potatoes and blue potatoes from downstairs. I tossed them with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt, cranked the oven up to 400 degrees, and that was it.

The results were magnificent—crispy spring alliums, sweet, melting parsnips, caramelized fennel, and just enough potato heft to go around. We ate them with fresh fried butterfish (more on that soon) and rhubarb gingerbread shortcakes (that too), and a salad made by our two new roommates (Hi Rob! Hi Siobhan!). It was absolutely sublime.


There's a list of when all the markets will be opening up over here; the next one will be Falmouth on May 27th. Thank you, farmers, and thank you, spring, and thank you, of course, to all of you.

ROASTED SPRING ALLIUMS WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Once you get the hang of roasting vegetables, there is really no need to follow a recipe, but for those of you who like one, here it is. Feel free to substitute, add, and completely wing it—everything, this time of year, is good.

2 medium-size sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1/2 pound blue potatoes, scrubbed
4-5 medium-size carrots, scrubbed and trimmed
4-5 medium-size parsnips, scrubbed and trimmed
1 bunch spring fennel, fronds removed
4 scallions, washed and trimmed
4 shoots of spring garlic, washed and trimmed
2 leeks, carefully washed and trimmed
olive oil
sea salt
freshly cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Chop the sweet potatoes, blue potatoes, carrots, and parsnips into rounds roughly 1/4-inch thick. Slice the fennel stems, scallions, spring garlic, and leeks into rounds roughly 1/8-inch thick. Toss all of the vegetables together with a good glug of olive oil and sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Spoon them into a large roasting pan (if you only have pie plates and casserole dishes, just use two smaller pans; you want the veggies to be spread fairly thin). Loosely tent the pan(s) with tinfoil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and continue baking until the vegetables are tender in the center and crisped around the edges, 20-35 more minutes. Serve hot.