Parsnip Hasselbacks with Pistachio & Coriander Pesto

PREP TIME: 15mins

COOKING TIME: 20mins

Sliced hasselback parsnips are roasted until golden before being drizzled with pesto! Bursting with flavour and colour this is such a stunning dish!

I love the combination of coriander, lime and toasted pistachio nuts in this interesting take on a traditional basil pesto.

Seasonal Swaps: you can use any root vegetable here (cooked in the same way), beetroot, carrots and potatoes would all work well. If you are not keen on coriander you can easily replace with basil or parsley.

 

Ingredients:

  • 400g parsnips, tops trimmed
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
  • feta (opt)
  • 100g wild rocket leaves
  • a few lime wedges to serve (opt)

Coriander & Pistachio Pesto

  • 60g (about two handfuls)
  • 1/4 cup pistachios, toasted
  • zest of 1 lime
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • enough olive oil to make a rough paste
  • salt & pepper

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 220c
  2. Fill a large saucepan with cold water, add a few pinches of salt, add the whole parsnips and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the parsnips for 7 minutes, drain carefully and let the parsnips steam for 5 minutes.
  3. Cut the parsnips in half and with a serrated knife make deep cuts into the length of the parsnips at roughly 1/2 cm intervals, without cutting through (see kitchen notes below for a tip). Put the parsnips on a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle generously with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes until golden.
  4. Meanwhile, add the coriander, toasted pistachios, lime zest, juice, two pinches of salt and pepper in a food processor. Whizz until a paste forms, scoop the paste into a small bowl and drizzle enough olive oil into the bowl to make a drizzle-able pesto.
  5. To serve, add the parsnips to a pretty flat dish, drizzle the pesto over the parsnips and with a little spoon try to get the pesto right into the cut grooves, next scatter over the wild rocket leaves, pomegranate seeds and feta, season with pepper and salt. Serve with lime wedges. Enjoy!

Kitchen Notes:

Clever hassleback: One at a time, place the veg on a board between the handles of two wooden spoons, so that when you slice down into them the spoons stop the blade from going all the way through.

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