Recipe Instructions:
Ingredients
4 parsnips (500g total)
olive oil
50g Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese
15g fresh thyme
2 leeks
2 garlic cloves
1 fresh red chilli
300g tagliatelle
Method
preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Trim and peel the parsnips (reserving the peel), then finely slice. Toss the peel with 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of black pepper. Spread out on a baking tray, grate over 10g of the Parmesan and bake for 10 mins, or until golden and crisp.
Meanwhile, place a large frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tsp oil and pick in the smaller thyme leaves. Fry for 1 min until crisp, then carefully remove to kitchen paper to drain.
Trim, halve, wash and finely slice the leeks, peel and finely slice the garlic and finely slice the chilli. Put the pan back on a medium-low heat with 1 tbsp olive oil, and cook the leeks, garlic, chilli and remaining thyme leaves with a splash of water and the lid on for 7 mins. Add the parsnips to the pan, cover and cook for a further 7 mins, or until soft and sweet.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the tagliatelle to pack instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water. Add the pasta and cooking water to the cooked veg and grate in the remaining Parmesan. Mix well over the heat until the sauce is silky and emulsified. Season, then divide between bowls and top with the crispy parsnip peelings and thyme leaves. Lovely with a crisp salad.
