Читать книгу Vegetables - Sophie Grigson, Sophie Grigson - Страница 34

Tortilla night at Hacienda Grigson, but madre mia, no beans to refry!!! And then we thought – wait a moment, hold on, but wouldn’t the starchy texture of parsnips work rather well as a substitute? And you know what, they were better than a mere substitute, bringing a welcome new vigour to what has become one of my family’s favourite suppers.

The parsnips, incidentally, can be cooked and mashed with their spices and onion way before they are needed, then gently reheated just before serving. The salsa positively benefits from being made an hour or so in advance, leaving time for the flavours to meld and develop.

Serves 4

750g (1lb 10oz) parsnips

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

salt and pepper

Salsa

250g (9 oz) sweet tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1–2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

juice of 1 lime

To serve

8 corn tortillas

125g (41/2 oz) feta cheese, crumbled

6 crisp young lettuce leaves, shredded

pickled jalapeño chillies

1 avocado, peeled, sliced and tossed in a little extra lime juice

150ml (5floz) soured cream

For the salsa, merely mix all the ingredients together, then set aside at room temperature.

Prepare the parsnips as normal and cut into big chunks. Bring a pan of water to the boil (not too big, please) and stir in half the cumin seeds, all the turmeric and some salt. Now add the parsnip pieces and cook until tender. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion with the garlic and remaining cumin seeds until tender. Pile in the parsnips and, as they sizzle in the oil, mash them up roughly with a large fork. After about 3–4 minutes, add 3 tablespoons of the cooking water to moisten them, and carry on frying and mashing for a few more minutes until you end up with a thick, fragrant, rough mash, golden and appetising.

Just before serving, wrap the corn tortillas in foil and heat through in a low oven, or alternatively wrap in clingfilm and heat through in the microwave (check packet for timings). Put all the other extras into separate bowls and place them on the table, along with the salsa. Spoon the parsnips into a bowl and place on the table along with the hot tortillas.

It’s all ready to go now. Each diner takes a tortilla and adds a big spoonful of parsnip mash, spreading it roughly down the diameter of the tortilla, then tops it with as much cheese, salsa, lettuce, extra chillies, avocado and soured cream as they fancy. Then that lucky person just rolls it all up and takes a great big bite.