Honeyed Parsnip Quinoa

with Chilli, Cardamom and Orange…

I love marrying hearty winter food with exotic, warm flavours. It works so well here. As with pretty much every dish in the book, there are lots of twists and turns you can add to make it your own.

Includes 4 of your 5 a day

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 30 mins

serves 4

Ingredients

1kg parsnips, peeled and cut into 4cm-long batons

1 large onion, thinly sliced

a pinch of chilli powder

a few glosses of olive or rapeseed oil, plus 4 tbsp for the dressing

200g quinoa

500ml water

3 oranges

1 tbsp runny honey

4 cardamom pods, seeds finely ground

a large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

a large handful almonds, toasted

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 220?C/gas mark 7. Place a large roasting or baking tray on the top shelf of the oven to warm up.

Toss parsnips and onion in a bowl with a little salt, pepper and chilli powder. Gloss with just enough oil to lightly coat. Tumble onto warmed tray and roast for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden and tender.

Meanwhile, rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Heat a lidded pan and toast the rinsed grains for a moment. Swirl in a pinch of salt and a drop of oil. Pour in the water, pop a lid on, lower heat and let it cook for 20 minutes, or until all the water is fully absorbed. Remove from heat, lid still on, and leave to steam for a further 5 minutes. Drain any excess water.

Halve one of the oranges. Squeeze out 8 tbsp of juice into a clean, lidded jam jar. Mix with the 4 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt, the honey and ground cardamom. Shake or whisk until fully emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning and orange/oil/honey ratio to your liking.

Once parsnips are nearly done, pour a little dressing over them, just enough to lightly coat, and pop them back in the oven for a couple of minutes, allowing the dressing to turn to a sticky glaze.

Cut remaining oranges into 1cm-thick rounds – whip the peel off the rounds. Mix them through the quinoa, along with the chopped parsley and remaining dressing. Tuck the roasted parsnips into the mix, once cooked. Scatter toasted almonds over the top. Serve warm or cold.

Extracted from Five: 150 effortless ways to eat your 5+ fruit and veg a day by Rachel de Thample (Ebury Press, €12.99, out now). Photographs by Nassima Rothacker.