Glazed Parsnips for October

I remembered to say "White Rabbits" when I finally awoke on 1st of October. It's a family tradition to say it on the first day of the month before you speak to anyone as it is meant to bring you luck. Well I wonder?

More heavy had arrived to match that I had driven through to see some very good friends of mine for the first time in a quarter the night before. That said for second day in a row it was time for an early lunch in the hope that it would clear up in the afternoon for a walk with the beast.

I had obtained a Parsnip from my local greengrocer, which is regrettably to close soon, and decided to spice it up by frying it in some honey. I decided to serve it with a side of  White Fish from the freezer and some Garlic Butter Sauce.

On the player was Joni Mitchell's excellent and underrated debut album "Song to a Seagull". Even at this early stage in her career Mitchell's unique phrasing in her vocal delivery and complex guitar tuning techniques are well in evidence.

I peeled and topped and tailed the Parsnip before slicing it into narrow batons that were no more than five centimeters long.

Next I pre-heated the oven to Gas Mark 4 and when it was warmed up I added the White Fish to it on a foil-covered baking tray. I let the Fish cook for around twenty-five minutes.

While the Fish was cooking I fried the Parsnips on a medium heat in a frying pan in Olive Oil turning them occasionally. I also added some fresh Thyme and after fifteen minutes of cooking I added three tablespoons of Honey. I mixed the Honey thoroughly into the Parsnips and herbs. I kept cooking them on a medium heat for a total of twenty-five minutes.

In the meantime I melted four ounces of unsalted butter in a saucepan and once melted added two finely sliced cloves of Garlic together with two ounces of dried Rosemary and Thyme. Then I added two ounces of Plain Flour and took the saucepan off the heat to stir the flour into the Butter, Garlic and Herbs. This gave the sauce the appearance of a Honeycomb interspersed with Garlic Pieces. Then I added five tablespoons of unsweetened Soya Milk, put the saucepan back on a medium heat and stirred everything until I had a thick sauce. I kept the sauce on a low heat until the Fish and Parsnips were ready.

I served the dish by pouring the sauce all over the White Fish and putting the Parsnips next to them.

The White Fish had its usual delicious taste which was enhanced by the deceptively simple sauce. The Parsnips meanwhile tasted sweet and rich but still had plenty of goodness bearing in mind they came from a local Greengrocer.

Golden days- the Parsnips sit near the sauce-covered fish.