Bob Hart loves parsnips

So Don Burke has a problem with parsnips. Poor chap. Maybe he grew up in a home where parsnips were cooked badly, or was forced to eat them when he was too young to understand how good they are. Who knows?

But the fact is that parsnips are one of the truly great root vegetables. They have a distinctive flavour, sure,. But only seriously dull people object to distinctive flavours, surely. Especiall in the age of MasterChef…

Anyway, parsnips are a favourite of mine. At this time of the year, I eat mountains of them. Here are my favourite ways of preparing them:

Parship mash: this is the simplest and perhaps the best way to serve parsnips. Simply top, tail and peel a couple of sturdy parsnips with a vegie peeler. Cut into roughly equal chunks and cook in boiling, salted water until tender. Then, attack them with a potato masher, working in a generous knob of unsalted butter. Finally, season to taste with sea salt and lashings of freshly-ground black pepper. They them with lamb cutlets.

Curried parsnip soup: it was a British food writer called Jane Grigson, an idol of mine, who first drew our attention to this glorious blend of flavours. Simply peel and chop a couple of large parsnips (for two) and a medium onion. Sweat them together in a knob of butter, add a dollop of good curry paste (Indian, please) and increase the heat slightly. Toss until they begin to soften and are fragrant. Cover with either water or stock - vegie or chicken, but I prefer the latter – and cook until parsnips are soft. Liquidise (a stick blender is ideal), check seasoning, and serve with a drizzle of cream.

Roasted parsnips: no roast dinner is complete without roasted parsnips. Peel and half parsnips, vertically, and place in your roasting pan with your potatoes and plenty of duck fat. If you blanch your potatoes (which you should), also blanch your parsnips, but not for as long. Cook until they are crisp and golden.

Now, when you have tried all of these recipes, and are convinced about parsnips, drop Don Burke a line and tell him to stick to shrubs.