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Broiled Parsnips
Broil some parsnips, drain them dry on a clean towel, split them into slices one-half inch thick, dip them in melted butter seasoned with salt and pepper, put them between the bars of a double wire gridiron, broil them brown over a hot fire, and serve immediately.
A short entry that assumes more than it says. The first word is almost certainly a printer's slip for "boil" — parsnips cannot be split into half-inch slices and dipped in butter until they have first been cooked through.
- Boil first, broil secondSimmer whole peeled parsnips in salted water until just tender, roughly 12-18 minutes depending on thickness, then dry them well. The gridiron stage is only for colour and flavour; it will not cook a raw root.
- Drain dry is the hingeWet parsnips steam rather than brown, and the butter will slide off. Pat them thoroughly on a towel and let the surface air-dry a minute before dipping.
- Double wire gridironA hinged wire basket that clamps the food between two grids so it can be turned in one motion over coals. A hinged fish basket does the same job; failing that, a very hot cast-iron grill pan or a sheet pan under a broiler set high works, turning once.
- "A hot fire"Direct heat, coals glowing and grey, or a broiler element at full heat with the rack about 4 inches below. Three to four minutes a side is usually enough to get brown edges.
- Cut with the taper in mindParsnips narrow sharply toward the tip. Split lengthwise and, on thick roots, quarter the crown end so the pieces are of even thickness and finish together.
- Butter and burningButter over live coals browns fast and can catch. Clarified butter, or butter cut with a spoonful of neutral oil, holds up better at broiling heat.
- YieldThe recipe gives no quantity. As a working guide, allow one large or two medium parsnips per person; about 1 1/2 lb will serve four as a side.
- Woody coresLarge winter parsnips can have a fibrous central core; if it is tough, trim it out before or after boiling. Smaller roots need no attention.
Parsnips were a staple sweet root of the European kitchen long before the potato displaced them, valued because frost in the ground converts their starch to sugar, which is why they were a winter vegetable in both English and American cookery. Oscar Tschirky's book, published in 1896, is written in this clipped professional shorthand throughout: a line or two aimed at a cook who already knows what a double gridiron is and does not need to be told to boil the vegetable first.