Roasting on the Stove

I ate the most delicious roast parsnips and carrots the other day, and I didn't have to turn on the oven.

My mother made them in my cast iron fry pan on the stove.

I'll be using this technique often.

The parsnips came from Tutti Frutti at the Hollywood Farmers Market. They were the most slender parsnips I've ever seen. Mum cut them into sticks about 3 inches long and between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch wide. She cut carrots (from the Givens Farm stand) to match.

Meanwhile my cast iron fry pan was warming over low heat on the stove. She added enough olive oil to glisten the bottom and then the vegetables in one layer. She let them cook until lightly browned and then turned them and cooked them some more, for a total of 10-15 minutes, until they were fragrant. Next she added 1/2 cup water, covered the frypan with a saucepan lid, and let them steam until tender.

They were a great vegetable side dish, although I confess to having eaten many of them out of the pan before dinner was served.


There's nothing like a cast iron fry pan. This recipe won't work in non-stick -- and let's not start on the chemicals involved in the non-stick process (at least in this post). Berg Hardware in Pasadena -- corner of Altadena and Villa -- currently has a great selection of Lodge cast iron pans.