December 2005

Roast Parsnip, Broccoli and Chestnut Parcel

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It is Christmas again and this year I decided to give those vegetarians out there a thought. I am sure that they sometimes feel a little forgotten on Christmas day so here is a recipe just for them. It is a simple dish that uses all the classic tastes of Christmas but with a little bit of a twist.

For the filling we started with some diced onion. This was cooked quite gently in some butter. Into this was added a little chopped garlic, some finely diced chilli and some grated fresh ginger. The amounts of these can be adjusted according to your own taste. These were cooked for a couple of minutes and then some diced parsnip was added. If you prefer, you can dice and roast the parsnip first and then add it into this dish a bit later in the recipe. Once the parsnips have softened a bit I added some small florets of pre-cooked broccoli and some diced chestnuts.These were bought cooked and peeled and are now available in all good super markets. (Be aware though that they will all disappear from the shops a good while before Christmas and are one of those things that will then be nearly impossible to find). The mix was then removed from the heat, seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with a little clear honey. The whole thing was then allowed to cool.

The parcels are wrapped with file pastry. This is also available all over the place. A sheet of pastry was laid on a clean worktop. This was brushed with melted butter and a second layer put on top. Into the middle of this was put a ball of the parsnip and broccoli mix. The pastry was drawn up around and squeezed together at the top and lightly twisted. The parcel is then ready. For best results the parcels should be made in advance and left in the fridge over night. When you are ready to cook them, remove from the fridge and brush all over with more melted butter. Cook in a moderate oven for about twenty-five minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is piping hot.

You can now relax and enjoy your Christmas lunch, remember to try and get someone else to do the washing up. You can serve with this any sauce you like but I would serve a tomato sauce flavoured with cranberries and maybe a little rosemary.

I hope that you try this recipe, don't forget to add the chilli and ginger, as these will make all the difference.

Enjoy!

Paul Vincent, Head Chef.