Parsnip and Sauerkraut Bowl

It’s strange, to me, how much “pantry essentials” can vary from person to person, from kitchen to kitchen, and even – in my case at least – from year to year.

There were a few years when I always had tinned tomatoes, onions, and garlic on-hand, in case the desire ever struck – as it often did – to make homemade lasagna. There was another stretch of time, when Little Sister was here, that I was never without at least three pounds of raw carrots and no fewer raw apples. For a while, I kept nori sheets hanging around, and parsley, and lemons; there was even a bit of time where my fridge was always filled with plain yogurt, which I dolloped on everything and often ate plain as a snack.

There are a few staples that have stood the test of time: spicy French mustard, homemade vinaigrette, good olive oil, cider vinegar. Of late, however, staples are hovering around a carefully selected few: canned chickpeas, frozen broccoli, tahini, homemade red sauerkraut, homemade chili oil (heavy on the chili, light on the oil, so it ends up being more of a glistening fried chili flake sludge than an oil at all).

These staples might seem random, but they mean that I can easily throw together a meal at a moment’s notice with whatever CSA odds and ends are rolling around in the crisper drawer. That’s what I did, one evening after having been away from home for a few days, with a few parsnips, going soft, whatever greens were left in the fridge, and a lonely can of chickpeas. This meal was born.

I’m loath to call this a recipe, though I will, because I have nothing better to call it. In reality, it’s just one of many iterations of similar plates I eat when creativity is running low and a desire for something healthful is running high.

Parsnip and Sauerkraut Bowl

chili flakes or homemade chili sludge (the recipe for which I may post one of these days, but it essentially consists of putting chili flakes and a Szechuan peppercorn in a pot, just barely covering them with neutral oil, bringing to a brief boil, and infusing until you remember them again and stick them in the fridge)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the vegetables on a sheet pan, toss with oil and salt, and roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and browned. Toss with the spices when they come out of the oven.

Arrange the lettuces in a bowl, top with the vegetables, and finish with the sauerkraut.

Whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Thin with water as needed so the dressing can be drizzled, and drizzle over the bowl. Top with chili sludge. Eat.