Recipe: Braised Parsnips and Carrots with Pear

It was sometime last week while browsing through some recipes, I came across one using a combination of parsnips, carrots, and pears. I was too lazy to look it up again, so I fashioned my own as follows. The combination seems unusual and unexpected. But it went over quite well with the family.

Serves 4-5 as a side dish

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 large d'Anjou or Bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. each ground allspice and nutmeg
• 1 to 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 parsnips, sliced into about bite-sized 1/8-inch thick slices
• 2 to 4 carrots, sliced the same as parsnips, and about the same quantity
• 1 tbsp. pear vinegar (see notes below)
• 2 to 3 tbsp. water

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When melted, add pear slices and stir for a minute or two to coat with butter. Add salt, allspice, nutmeg, and sugar. Stir to combine.
2. Add parsnips and carrots, the pear vinegar (or substitute), and water. Stir to combine. Bring to boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Take off heat, stir to thoroughly mix with syrup, and serve.

Notes

• I happen to have some pear vinegar that I found on sale. The ingredients say that it contains pear juice, cider vinegar, white grape juice, vanilla extract, and some pear flavorings. For a substitute for 1 tbsp. of this pear vinegar, I'd try maybe 1 tsp. cider vinegar; 2 tsp. of pear, apple, white grape juice, or plain sugar water; and around 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. of vanilla extract.