Parsnip & fennel patties, parsnip gnocchi, beetroot risotto, parsnip chips

I’ve written about the Haagse Markt before—the market is one of the main things that’s keeping my low-budget meals interesting and healthy. I love to take photos of all the stuff I bring home, so I thought it would be nice to share them on here a bit more often. I always want more recipe ideas for seasonal vegetables and maybe you do, too, so this could be a good way to keep track of what I make. Here’s what I bought this time:

Three boxes of cherry tomatoes for €1, six red and yellow peppers for €1, 500 grams of yeast for €2.50, a bag of garlic (about 10 bulbs?) for €2, two heads of broccoli for €1.50, four courgettes for €1, a big bag of rocket greens for €1, too many parsnips to count for €1, eight beetroots for €1, six fennel bulbs for €1, and a bunch of fresh coriander for €0.40.

And this is what I used it for: roasted tomatoes, rocket pesto, white bean patties with parsnip and fennel, parsnip gnocchi, broccoli & potato mash, beetroot risotto, parsnip stews, fennel soups, omelettes with stir-fried broccoli, roasted beetroots, roasted parsnips, roasted garlic, and several stir-fries, pizzas, and salads. I only took pictures of a couple of these, but here they are:

I had white beans I needed to eat, so I used them to make burgers with some of the fennel and parsnips. I sautéed the vegetables with onions and garlic until softened and then mashed them into the beans with herbs and fennel seeds for flavour, roasted sunflower seeds for texture, and rolled oats to hold everything together. These were definitely veggie patties with no resemblance to non-vegetarian burgers other than their shape, and they made for great sandwiches. In the picture above, I had one in a pita with rocket leaves, roasted tomatoes and onions, and rocket pesto (hidden underneath).

I wanted to try something new with my parsnips, so I used them in these gnocchi. The recipe is very similar to regular gnocchi—just with parsnip puree instead of mashed potatoes—but they were a nice change and I found the dough to be really easy to work with. If you want to make them too, just peel, dice, and boil two parsnips, mash them well (I used my stick blender) and mix in some olive oil and salt (I also added some chopped fresh parsley). Let the purée cool down a bit and start stirring in scoops of flour, adding just enough to make a kneadable dough. Then roll the rough into ropes and cut into small pieces to make the gnocchi. Cook the gnocchi by boiling them in plenty of boiling salted water until they float to the surface. For the meal pictured above, I pan-fried the leftover gnocchi in olive oil with red onion, pears, tempeh and rocket greens. I think these would be even better with something creamy to offset the sweetness of the parsnips—maybe a cashew cheese?

Speaking of creaminess, I love pairing root vegetables with creamy things but I’ve been looking for something a little more budget-friendly than cashews to make that happen. To go with the beetroot risotto pictured above, I made the cashew ricotta from Veganomicon but with sunflower seeds instead. It wasn’t quite as creamy, but it went well with the rest of the meal. I’m not sure the dish actually counts as a risotto, because I basically poured all the ingredients in a pot and went to take a shower while it simmered away, but it turned out pretty well for so little effort. I added some cumin seeds to the risotto and some oregano to the ricotta and we had it with smoky pan-fried tempeh.

I have to say we were almost getting sick of parsnips by the time we had consumed about twelve of them, but then I roasted the last two and it made me wish I’d bought more. I cut them into small crunchy chips and I had some mayonnaise left from another meal, so this was a great snack!

I think I’ve used up everything now except two beets, and I’ve already picked up new veggies for this week. I came home with more red cabbage than I know what to do with, so I need to go look for new recipes!

Chimichurri tempeh and beetroot risotto

I’ve been finding lots of cheap fresh herbs at my local market lately. The seeds I keep planting in the pots on my windowsill don’t seem very eager to grow, so I’m glad to be able to pick up large bunches of parsley or coriander for 40 cents or less (which makes packaged herbs from supermarkets seem ridiculously expensive) and use them generously throughout the week. This tempeh chimichurri from the PPK blog was the first thing I checked off my new cooking list and it was the perfect dish to put these fresh herbs to use. I love tempeh but I often stick with a few basic recipes when I cook with it (tempeh bacon, tempeh wings, tempeh sate) so I’ve been looking for new ways to incorporate it into different cuisines. This recipe was definitely a success—fresh, flavourful, and a welcome variation on the ways I usually prepare tempeh—and I’m looking forward to making chimichurri again. My sauce did look like it would be a little too thin, so I left out some the liquid and I’m adding even mor the herbs next time.

(Also pictured above: my new mezzaluna! I was considering buying at one at a fancy kitchenware shop when I found this one second hand for only €0,50. I’m not sure that it’s actually quicker or easier to work with than a regular kitchen knife, but it is pretty fun to use.)

This beetroot risotto was inspired by a recipe in Nadine Abensur’s The Cranks Bible. I forgot to write down what went into it, but I think I kept it pretty simple with red onion, garlic, red wine, and vegetable stock. My version ended up a little different from Nadine’s, which called for vodka (which I would love to try in risotto!) and parmesan, but it turned out lovely and I can’t wait to make it again—if only because I adore cooking with such beautiful colours. I served the risotto with a lemon-garlic cream (I used silken tofu because that’s what I had on hand, but I think something like a cashew cream or almond feta would be great here) and plenty of chopped fresh parsley.