Pureed parsnip with mango and tomato salad- topped with ahi tuna steak
My wife and I made this dish! So we were volunteering in the food pantry and realized we had to give away an extraordinary amount of parsnips (Huge bags of parsnips). I learned that most everybody didn't know what a parsnip was! I was talking to someone who was going through our offered food box. It included about 10 parsnips.
"What is this?" she asked, holding up a parsnip.
"A parsnip! I think it's a better carrot because it has a more complex flavor! Just treat them like any tuber - oven roast with olive oil or you can make a nice puree! Ooh, if you make a nice puree, you can really top it with anything! It serves as a nice base!"
Convinced, I happily watched as she took more of the parsnip and promised me the next time we see each other, she can tell me how it went. I was inspired by the conversation so my wife and I decided to make a parsnip dish!
After volunteering, we stopped by our favorite produce store where they were giving away sad parsnips for a 1$ each!
Make a parsnip puree. Do not worry about seasoning wildly here. Just focus on the inherent taste of parsnip. Boil parsnip, mash with butter and cream. Add salt and black pepper! Should be smooth to your liking.
The true star of the show is the mango and tomato salad. Make a balsamic vinegar reduction (look up your favorite recipe online) and mix it in with cherry tomatoes and sliced ripe mango. Add in a bit of mint! Basically, season to your liking here.
You can take or leave the ahi tuna. Personally I would have preferred cod/halibut. If you're very vegetarian, I can imagine some other vegetables would work really well here. Oven roasted broccoli or Brussel sprouts? Frankly, fried tofu would have worked really well here. If you're a carnivore, a well seasoned chicken thigh. Whatever, keep it super simple, sear the ahi tuna one minute on each side.
Garnish with pistachios (I know but I swear it work) with green onions.
If you want to focus your attention it's the mango/tomato salad. That's where all the exciting contrast comes from.