Parsnips are not a vegetable I would usually include in a pasta dish, which is why Karen Martini’s recipe for Tagliatelle with Shaved Parsnip, Pancetta and Sage from Cooking at Home caught my eye. I was intrigued by how it could possibly work with pasta. Wow, what a versatile ingredient!

Yes, Cooking at Home is my “go to” cookbook at the moment. The savoury dishes allow for substitution of certain ingredients, which is essential when cooking for the youngest of palates. So far, all of the recipes I have prepared from it are are hit!
Parsnips are a creamy coloured vegetable, related to carrots, celery and parsley and appear in many of my soup, casserole and stew recipes. I also like to tumble it into a roasting pan with potatoes, kumera and pumpkin and roast with rosemary, butter and garlic.
This humble veg is available all year round in Australia but is best from about May to September. It effortlessly adds a sweet, nutty flavour to meals whilst also providing a boost of potassium, fibre, vitamins C and B3. Actually the sweetness is due to this vegetable’s naturally high sugar content, which is why it caramelises so beautifully and makes a perfect flavour partner to roasted meats.
I made a few minor changes to Karen’s original recipe:
I substituted fresh basil for flavoursome sage because it’s still growing with gusto in my garden;
I used spaghetti size 7 as it was in my pantry;
the chilli was omitted because of my littlest ones;
I also upped the quantity of ingredients four-fold because I was cooking for eight people and the recipe allows for two generous portions. I have included the recipe below as it appears for two people only so you can use as is, or increase as required.
Tagliatelle with Shaved Parsnip, Pancetta and Sage  Serves 2
Ingredients
260 g tagliatelle (or spaghetti number 7)
1 parsnip peeled
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 slices pancetta (this can be fried in whole slices or diced up into small pieces which is what I prefer)
2 garlic cloves
2 handfuls sage leaves (or basil)
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
100 ml white wine
150 ml pouring cream
50 g shaved parmesan
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
sea salt and black pepper
Using a vegetable peeler, cut the parsnip into fine shavings. Do not use the hard, fibrous centre.
While the pasta is cooking, heat up the olive oil and cook the pancetta until browned and crispy. Add the garlic, herbs, chilli (if using), and parsnip and cook until parsnip is also crisp.
Pour in the wine, cook off for 2 minutes and then add the cream, parmesan, salt, pepper, lemon juice and the drained pasta.

Toss to combine and serve in bowls with extra shaved parmesan on top.