Parsnip, Parmesan and Sage
Bread
I love to
serve this bread with Curried
Parsnip and Apple Soup with Parsnip Crisps, as it extends the parsnip flavour, but
it's also good with tomato
or any other soup, or for a snack with crisp apples and celery and a soft,
ripe, creamy cheese such as Brie, Camembert or Dolcelatte. Vegetarians might like to know that a
vegetarian parmesan-style cheese is available.
Serves : 4 – 6 Makes 1 Loaf
Ingredients:
6oz / 175g Parsnips (peeled weight)
2oz / 50g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), cut
into ¼ inch / 5mm cubes
1 Rounded tbsp Chopped Fresh Sage
8oz / 225g Self-Raising
Flour
1½ Level tsp Salt
2 Large Eggs, lightly
beaten
1 tbsp Milk
FOR THE TOPPING:
1oz / 25g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) shavings
A Few Whole Small Sage
Leaves
A Little Extra Flour
for dusting
1 tsp Olive Oil
Instructions:
1.
Pre-heat
the oven to Gas Mark 5 / 375°F / 190°C.
2.
First of
all sift the flour
and salt into a large,
roomy bowl.
3.
Then put a
grater in the bowl and coarsely grate the parsnips into the flour, then toss them
around.
4.
After
that, add the cubes of Parmesan
and chopped sage and
toss that in.
5.
Now
lightly beat the eggs
and milk together, then add this to the bowl a little at a time, mixing evenly
with a palette knife. What you should end up with is a rough, rather loose,
sticky dough, so don't worry what it looks like at this stage.
6.
Transfer
this to the baking sheet and pat it gently into a 6 inch / 15cm rough round,
then make a cross with the blunt side of a knife.
7.
Now
scatter the Parmesan
shavings over the surface, followed by a sprinkling of flour.
8.
Finally,
spoon the olive oil
into a dish, dip each sage
leaf in the oil
and scatter them over the bread.
9.
Now it
should go into the oven on a high shelf to bake for 45 – 50 minutes, by which
time it will be golden and crusty.
10.
It then
needs to go on a wire rack, then either serve it still warm or re-heat it
later.
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