You can make your carrots and parsnips the centrepiece of the Christmas dinner table with the help of chef Gordon Ramsay.
A side dish can easily elevate a Christmas dinner or Sunday roast - and with the help of the iconic chef people will be coming back to get seconds of everything. Gordon's honey-glazed parsnips recipe goes well with roast potatoes and meat drenched in gravy, and Yorkshire puddings.
Parsnips especially can go well with savoury meats such as pork and chicken. And between the rich puddings desserts and chocolates this festive period, some well-prepared vegetables will allow your sweet tooth a break.
With Gordon's easy-to-follow recipe, including the 'secret' ingredient, star anise, you can make tasty honey-glazed parsnips and carrots. The star anise adds a sweet liquorice-like flavour to the dish.
Ingredients:
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500g carrots
Two to three tbsp olive oil
Thyme sprigs
One cinnamon stick, broken in two
Three star anise
Sea salt and black pepper
One to two tbsp clear honey
Splash of water
Butter
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1. Peel, and halve (or quarter) the parsnips and carrots so that the pieces are of a similar size.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the carrots and parsnips and toss to coat in the oil.
3. Add the thyme, cinnamon, star anise and some seasoning.
4. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning the vegetables frequently, until golden brown and almost cooked through.
5. Drizzle over the honey and cook until the vegetables start to caramelise.
6. Deglaze the pan with the water and increase the heat.
7. Cook for two to three minutes until the liquid has evaporated, and the vegetables are cooked through.
8. Stir through a few knobs of butter, and enjoy!
What does deglaze mean?
Deglazing simply means adding hot liquid to a pan and allowing it to help all the caramelised bits stuck to the bottom to release.
What's your favourite part of a Christmas dinner? Let us know in the comments section below