Recipe for Roast Carrots and Parsnips with Walnuts
Serves : 6 Cooking : 50 minutes
- 500g small carrots
- 500g small parsnips
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- For the walnut sauce
- 1-2 slices stale white bread (sourdough is best)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 100ml olive or walnut oil
- 100g walnut pieces
- Generous handful fresh flatleaf parsley
- 1 garlic clove
Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Wash the carrots and parsnips (but don't peel them scrub them with a nail brush). Put them into 2 large roasting trays, so they sit in a single layer. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with sea salt and toss together. Roast for 40 minutes, turning them over once for even colour. The oil will be slightly infused with the carrot colour and sweetness drizzle it over the vegetables when you serve them. Meanwhile, make the walnut sauce. In a large bowl, mix the bread, vinegar, about half the oil and 50ml water. As soon as the bread is soft, squash it into a loose paste. Go on, use your hands. Set aside. Roast the walnuts on a baking tray in the oven for 10 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, shake off as many of the skins as you can by tossing them gently in a colander the skins will start to fall through the holes. Now either roughly crush the nuts with a pestle and mortar or rolling pin. A processor will make them too fine. Roughly chop the parsley and garlic and toss it with the bread, nuts and remaining oil. Season with salt and, if you like, freshly ground black pepper. Pour over the roasted carrots and parsnips and serve immediately.
