Carrot and Parsnip Fries

Man and woman does not live by french fries alone, although sometimes that’s all I think I want for dinner.

But french fries aren’t the healthiest thing and besides they can be messy to make if you cook them from scratch.

Long ago I tried to find an alternative because I realized I would never be able to eat as many french fries as I’d like to. Nothing really comes close. I’ve tried the baked fries, but really, they’re awful unless you put a whole lot of olive oil on them and then, what’s the point?

On the other hand, if you don’t use potatoes your expectations aren’t the same. When you make carrot “fries” or green bean “fries” you don’t expect them to taste like regular french fries so you don’t make the comparison in the first place. You can even bake them rather than fry them and it’s okay because your mind is not thinking the usual.

I make carrot and parsnip fries at least once a week. They’re roasted. It’s one of the vegetables that I DOUBLE at dinner because everyone, I mean, everyone who eats dinner at my house, loves these things.

They’re not french fries. But they’re really really good.

Try some. This is from my book, Hip Kosher.

Carrot and Parsnip Fries

• 1 pound carrots
• 1 pound parsnips
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, optional

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the carrots and parsnips and cut them into strips about 4-inches long, 1/2-inch wide and place them on a baking sheet. Pour the olive oil over the vegetables and toss them to coat each piece. Sprinkle with salt and the optional herbs. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning them once or twice, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly crispy.

Makes 4 servings

Carrot Salad a winning "experiment" for company

When I have company everyone sort of gravitates to the kitchen. I have a nice size kitchen, so it’s okay, but yesterday, when nearly all of my 40+ adults and several kids were gathered around the center island, where I had laid out a buffet of food, no one was actually eating, I asked one of my son-in-law’s friends to be the first to DIG IN and fill up a plate for himself.

He said he was more than willing to get the ball rolling.

I love when people are in my kitchen yakking, having a glass of wine or beer and looking at the food. But after cooking all that stuff I really really wanted them to start eating it!

So Joel get a plate full and believe it or not, then everyone else followed.

There was lots of food but the biggest hits were the challah (recipe on my website: www.ronniefein.com) — I made two enormous 4-1/2 pound breads. And also the Grand Finale Cookies (recipe in my book Hip Kosher but I added extra chocolate chips per the many requests from my children).

The spinach pie (also in Hip Kosher) was a hit, in fact, my daughter Gillian’s dog, who will eat anything she can and tries to jump up on tables, chairs and what have you to get near anything edible, actually succeeded in reaching two large pieces of spinach pie and polished them off, so I guess she liked it too.

Another winner was this carrot salad, an “experiment” on my guests, even though my mother always told me never to try out new recipes for company.

Carrot Salad

2 pounds carrots, peeled and shredded or grated

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

1-1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon harissa (or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper)

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

salt to taste

Place the shredded or grated carrots in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the cilantro, garlic, paprika, cumin, harissa and cinnamon. Stir to mix the ingredients and spoon over the carrots. Toss the carrots with the cilantro mixture. Pour in the olive oil and lemon juice and toss ingredients. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Let marinate for at least 2 hours. Best served at room temperature. Makes 8 servings

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