Wednesday, March 13, 2013

A Twofer - Braised Celery + Baked Parsnips Irish-Style





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Save for potatoes, there are not a lot of vegetable recipes being offered for St. Patrick's Day this year. I've been saving these two for the holiday, because they are typically Irish side dishes and I thought they would both go well with the stout and cheddar meatloaf that I featured last week. They are nice recipes and among their many merits is the ease with which both dishes come together. I must admit, however, that I have a favorite between the two. I really like the braised celery and could make a meal of it with a side of rice if left to my own devices. The bacon imparts a lovely smoky flavor to the braising liquid and you can control just how tender you want the celery pieces to be. The dish will be crisp tender if you remove it from the oven at the half hour mark. If left to go another 10 minutes it will be soft and offer only the slightest of resistance when you bite into it. While the parsnips are tasty, I think they suffer from familiarity. That is a personal opinion and is not meant to be a reflection on the recipe I'm sharing with you tonight. I hope you'll give both these side dishes a try. I think you'll like them. Here is how they are made.

Braised Celery

Ingredients:
1 head celery, cleaned and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 slices bacon, finely chopped
1-1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, boiling
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter, diced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place celery pieces in a shallow casserole. Top with bacon and onions and sprinkle with parsley. .
Pour in stock and dot with diced butter. Cover casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain, reserving stock if desired. Transfer celery to a bowl and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.




Baked Parsnips Irish-Style

Ingredients:
2-1/2 pounds parsnips
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel parsnips, quarter, and remove any woody cores. Parboil parsnips for 15 minutes. Place in an ovenproof dish. Add broth and sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Dot with butter and bake for 30 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.






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15 comments :

Arthur in the Garden! said...

Now I know what to do with all of those beautiful parsnips at the Raleigh Farmer's Market.

Kim said...

Ohhhhh a new design around here. Great! LOve these parsnips!

Unknown said...

Ooohh the parsnips sound lovely!! I'm not a huge cooked celery fan, but even those look and sound delicious... and I can safely say you are the only one who has ever made them look appetizing to me :)

Claudia said...

Braised celery! Never would have thought of it. Am planning on doing your meatloaf for the snowy St. Patrick's day ahead. Must try this.

David said...

Mary, I'm all for the parsnips! There's a possibility that I might even be able to convince my wife to try them! Thanks and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Rhodesia said...

I just love parsnips, this makes my mouth water :-)) Keep well Diane

Juliana said...

Mary, both dishes are so simple and tasty...I love it!
Hope you are enjoying your week :)

Ginny Hartzler said...

Well, it's green for sure!!! Interesting recipe and appropriate for St. Pat's day.

We Are Not Martha said...

Perfect St. Patrick's Day recipe and completely different from what everyone else is posting :)

Sues

Unknown said...

I love the colors of these two dishes, the bright green celery and the pale cream of the parsnips.

Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking said...

Oh these are our kind of veggies!!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Erinn go brach!!!

Blond Duck said...

I've always been curious about parsnips.

Jeff @ Cheeseburger said...

Both are delicious but I like the braised celery more as well.

Daniela Grimburg said...

Mary, thank you for this great parsnips recipe!
Never heard of braised celery before, but it looks stunning and sounds like an easy and healthy preparation:)

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