My Lucky Parsnip - Shredded Beef Over Parsnip Puree With Chimichurri
Monday, November 17, 2008 at 12:00PM Crap. I have no idea what to make for dinner. Could throw a bunch of junk together, but I need something blog worthy to keep schedule. There's always the 'try something new' routine, but that doesn't guarantee results. Still, at least it's a direction to take. Have to decide what the new ingredient will be. Talked about parsnips on the phone earlier- neither of us knew what to do with them. Good enough start to get to the grocery store.
Aren't parsnips for old people? They look like albino carrots. I don't see what makes it so unique from anything else that grows in the ground. Made a commitment- have to keep it. Still need a protein, a green, and something with more textural integrity than a puree.
The inner core is fibrous and not fun to eat.
The parsnips are only $1 per pound. I think- I dare- to make the entire dish under $5. There's one protein that I know will keep me under budget- stew meat. These wonderful cubes make my prep and cleaning life tons easier. Still need a green- not much looks good. Chimichurri is green. It doesn't satisfy a vegetable serving in the pyramid, but it's still green- not bending the rules too much.
First step is to fill the pool for the beef. Stew meat is very tough and will require a fairly long cooking time and liquid to be made tender. Liquid of choice today is water. Water alone isn't nearly as flavorful as stock- water needs friends. I throw in an onion, garlic, split jalapeno peppers, split serrano chiles, marjoram, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. All of a sudden water is Mr. Popular. Once assembled and the heat is on I throw the beef in.
Next I work some magic on the parsnips. I'm disappointed in the low yield of the vegetable. There is an inner core that is very fibrous and does not chew well. Since this is my first time with parsnips I decide to cut around the core and pitch the waste. Oil, salt, pepper, and the oven at 350 Dg for an hour. Both components should finish cooking at the same time now.
Time to figure out that chimichurri sauce. Honestly I've never made one before, but I've tried many. The ingredients are similar to pesto, however the sauce will be much less viscous, less overwhelming. Similarly as well, chimichurri is up to interpretation. Cilantro and [Italian] parsley are often used interchangeably or in tandem. The nice thing about Italian parsley is it acts as a breath freshener and counters the high garlic content. Either method would be suitable for my purpose, but I take the pure parsely route.
Beef's view from the diving board.
I take a bunch of greens and give a rough chop since I don't use a stand blender. Have to leave the stems in. They are full of flavor and are going to be blended anyway.* Couple cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes for some back heat. The biggest flavor difference between chimichurri and pesto is how much brighter flavor the former has has, which is a contribution from the large amount of citrus. I throw in the zest of an entire lemon, and then the juice of that lemon. I pour 1/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil then start blending, streaming more in as I go.
At the end of the hour I pull the beef to start shredding. In a perfect world I would have time for it to cool in its own liquid, not only for added flavor, but to save my hands from burning pain. As does most beef out of water, it appears pale and lacks texture. This is where I pan fry the shreds of beef, which is key to the dish. This adds color, flavor, and some crunch. To do this successfully, leave the beef in the pan while mashing the parsnips. The [beef] pan needs to go untouched to get proper color.
I like to have a rustic country feeling to my mashes. Whether it's potatoes or parsnips, I like to have some chunks and texture- not silky smooth baby food. Mix the parsnips with a splash of milk, and olive oil (or duck fat) and get the hand masher out. Check for basic seasonings, it's good to go.
Construction is easy. Lay down a parsnip puree foundation, cover with beef, then top off with chimichurri. It's difficult to describe a parsnip in a way other than parsnip since they have a unique flavor. But imagine an earthy root mash, topped with spicy, crisp beef, swimming in a bright, palate cleansing green sauce. I'm officially sold on parsnips. Not too bad for a $4.23 meal either.
Shredded Beef over Parsnip Puree with Chimichurri
*I've found a lot of Thai recipes that make dressings with cilantro stems. They actually omit the leafy part, nor do they blend it!
In short-
Shredded Beef Over Parsnip Puree with Chimichurri
- 1 lb of Stew Meat
- 1 lb of Parsnips
- 2 Jalapenos, split
- 2 Serrano Chiles, split
- 1 Onion, quartered
- 8 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
- 1 Lemon
- 1 [bunch] Italian Parsley
- Milk
- Bay Leaf
- Marjoram
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Chile Flakes
- Preheat oven to 350 Dg.
- Aggresively season 3-4 cups of water in a pot with the jalapenos, serranos, onion, half the garlic, bay leaf, marjoram, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Add beef cubes. Simmer for an hour.
- Dice the parsnips, omitting the fibrous core. Coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, and roast in the oven at 350 Dg for an hour.
- Make the chimichurri by blending the remaining garlic, parsely, chile flakes, salt, pepper, 1/4 cup olive oil, and lemon (zest and juice).
- After an hour, turn off the heat and let the beef cool in its liquid. Shred. Pan fry.
- Take the parsnip out of the oven and mash, with a splash of milk, and lipid of choice.
- Lay down a layer of parsnip, top with beef, then garnish with chimichurri.
- Devour
Chimichurri, Parsnip, Shredded Beef, budget in Recipe 
Reader Comments (4)
Mmm, I got parsnips in my CSA bunch two weeks ago. Made a delish gratin dish with them and turnips, think the scalloped tatoes we used to make :) Apparently the typical thing to do with them is to roast, so I'm glad you did something original
Good post. I must say I'm liking the ingredients. That almost makes me want to pair it with something to do with sweet potatoes. Maybe another plate of baked sweet potatoes? Man, baked sweet potatoes always remind me of home too.
Hmmm...the shredded beef and the chimichurri sauce look amazing, but I still would have to leave the parsnips. When we got them in our CSA basket this fall, I would (ashamedly) throw them out. I just can't stand them. When you hide them in a dish of mostly mashed potatoes, they are more tolerable though.
This is the last thing I want to see at 1:40am.... it looks so good! Really cool recipes, love the style.