Braised Parsnips With Maple Syrup and Pecans

"I grew up eating braised carrots with brown sugar and I associate them with the holidays. I love the freshness and unusual sweetness parsnips have and, to me, parsnips naturally gravitate to pecans. I also love to feature pecans in other places besides pecan pie for the holidays." — Alex Guarnaschelli

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1⁄2 cup  Fisher® Pecan Halves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin, lightly crushed
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1⁄2 cup maple syrup
• 8  medium parsnips, ends trimmed and thoroughly peeled and cut in half lengthwise, about 2 pounds
• 2 -3  cups water
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat butter a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter melts and starts to get brown, add the pecans, cumin and coriander. Stir the pecans and “toast” them with the spices for a minute. Remove the pecans from the pan and set aside. Add the maple syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.
2. Place the parsnips in a large skillet and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook the parsnips 15 to 20 minutes or until the parsnips are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Note: I often find recipes don’t give me enough liquid to work with. Parsnips can vary in size so feel free to add a splash of water to finish the cooking process, if needed. Drain off any remaining liquid. Sprinkle the parsnips with salt and toss with reserved maple syrup mixture and seasoned pecans. Serve immediately.