My parents are big believers in eating lots of vegetables, and they passed it on to me. If I don’t eat a vegetable with a meal, it just doesn’t feel complete. We ALWAYS have some sort of vegetable side dish to accompany every meal. In most cases, we eat our veggies in their raw state – my absolute favorite being a fresh tomato salad with fresh herbs and sour cream. However, even in Florida we have those cold, bleak days when comfort food is a must.
I stumbled upon this recipe on one of my visits to the bookstore, leafing through one of Ina Garten’s cookbooks, Foolproof. Right away, I was intrigued and had to try it for myself. The carrots and parsnips are braised in fresh orange juice and a bit of chicken broth, with some aromatic shallots and thyme to give it more flavor. I love the simplicity of this dish. You toss all the ingredients together in a pot and let them cook in the oven.
This colorful dish is certainly comforting but also has so many cheerful notes of freshness. The citrusy flavors and fresh herbs sprinkled in at the end really give it a zing. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Peel the carrots and the parsnips. Cut each into approximately 2 inch long pieces, 1/2-3/4 inch thick.
Place the carrots, parsnips, thyme, orange zest, 1/4 cup orange juice, chicken broth, salt, pepper, olive oil and shallot in a Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pot.
Bring it to a boil on the stove top. Cover and place in the preheated oven. Braise the vegetables in the oven for 30-45 minutes, just until the carrots and parsnips are tender.
Add another 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, lemon juice, butter and fresh parsley to the vegetables right before serving. Discard the thyme sprigs.
- 1 lb carrots
- 1 lb parsnips
- 1-2 shallots, sliced
- 3-5 thyme sprigs
- 1½- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup orange juice, divided plus zest
- ¼-1/3 cup chicken broth
- salt, pepper
- ½ – 1 Tablespoon butter, softened
- 1-2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Peel the carrots and the parsnips. Cut each into approximately 2 inch long pieces, ½-3/4 inch thick.
- Place the carrots, parsnips, shallots, thyme, olive oil, orange zest, ¼ cup orange juice, chicken broth in a Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pot. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring it to a boil on the stove top.
- Cover and place in the preheated oven. Braise the vegetables in the oven for 30-45 minutes, just until the carrots and parsnips are tender.
- Discard the thyme sprigs.
- Add another ¼ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, lemon juice and fresh parsley to the vegetables right before serving and gently toss to coat.
Hmm, looks awesome! But i’m ashamed of the fact, that i don’t know what parsnips are!
And i don’t think i’ve ever eaten those, nor how they taste! Yikes. Will need to look them up and try ‘em out! 
There’s no shame in it, Oksana K! There’s a first time for everything. We are so blessed to live in a country with such a large variety of fruits and vegetables. I sure haven’t tried all of them. Thank God for such a blessing.
Ya i never tried parsnips either, this is defenatly on my list to make. I always try to have veggies on my familys plate.
I love this recipe. I tried it recently with rainbow carrots, gorgeous! http://sillyapron.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/my-favorite-carrot-dish/