Underdog tubers

All winter, we’ve been having a love affair with parsnips and celery root. They are underdog tubers, and need to be championed! Often found in the lower sections of the produce department, they look like the homely girl that no one wants to ask to dance.
Celery root is particularly homely: a hard, round ball with nooks, crannies and hair growing out of unlikely places. No, I will not discuss the similiarities between celery root ‘hair’ and men as they age. That would just be too….easy.  I like celery root pureed, sautéed, in soup, grated raw, and roasted under a chicken.
Parsnips look like overgrown white carrots, and pureed with a little vanilla they become elegant, sensuous, mysterious and decadent. It’s the vanilla that adds that mysterious element. No, you cannot use vanilla extract. Don’t even think about it.  My version of this dish, is inspired by Shola at Studio Kitchen, a master of combining flavors.   I’ve posted the recipe over in the recipe section, along with a link that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about vanilla beans.