Parsnip Pavé with Bacon Mushroom Vinaigrette and Radish Salad

March/April 2012

From Chef Colin Penttinen

Parsnip Pavé

Parsnip pavé with a wild mushroom bacon vinaigrette, finished with a radish salad.

1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1-1/2 lbs. parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 lb. butter

1/2 c. shallots, finely minced

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Put the carrots in one bowl and the parsnips in another bowl. Melt the butter with the shallots and divide the mixture between the two bowls of veg. Toss with the vegetables, then salt and pepper. Lay the vegetables like shingles, overlapping a bit, in an 8”x 8” pan, parsnips first, topped with carrots. Press on the pavé to compress it, then cover it with parchment and lay bricks or stones overtop to compress the pavé while it bakes. Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and, when cooled a bit, cut into 6 portions.

To serve: Place the pavé on appetizer plates, drizzle with the warm or room temp bacon mushroom vinaigrette and finish with the radish salad.

Bacon Mushroom Vinaigrette

1 c. small-dice bacon

1/2 t. minced fresh ginger

1/4 c. minced onion

1/4 c. dried wild mushroom mix, rehydrated and chopped (reserve the liquid)

2 scallions, sliced

2 t. chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 c. rice vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In a small sauté pan, cook the bacon until it’s slightly crispy, then add the ginger and onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms plus the reserved rehydrating liquid and cook until the mushrooms are soft, the liquid has reduced and the mixture is quite dry. Add the scallions, rosemary vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Reserve.

Radish Salad

Thinly slice a handful of radishes, then julienne them. Gently toss the radishes with a squeeze of lemon juice and chopped parsley. Finish the pavé with the salad.

Serves 6.