Trendy Springtime Eating, Part Three: Spring Dug Parsnips

After two recent bouts with the stomach flu, I'm a bit behind on my trendy springtime eating. Spring dug parsnips have been here since nearly the beginning of the month. Some recent enjoyment was had with:

• A mash of parsnips, potatoes and cauliflower with soy milk and that stuff that is not butter but damn well tastes like it (Earth Balance), served with a chicken from Mainely Poultry cooked in a casserole, its skimmed juices reduced with port and then thickened with flour and enriched with the chicken's liver (that was really good, by the way);
  
• Roasted parsnips and pears with thyme and lemon olive oil, served with roasted, brined pork chops from Nezinscot Farms; and
• An excellent soup of potato, parsnip and apples.
  

An epic fail was achieved with some silly experimentation involving pureed parsnips, grated ginger, lemon zest (the principal error), soymilk, sliced almonds and eggs baked as a sort of dairy free gratin. Blech! In the process, however, I discovered that a straight up puree of parsnips with grated ginger works with minimal additional adulteration.