Parsnip and red pepper korokke

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a recipe for Japanese korokke, Western style potato cakes as reimagined by the land of the rising sun.

I like korokke. Why should we restrict ourselves to ones based on the humble potato, I asked myself? Why not the just as humble parsnip?

I decided to end this crazy korokke apartheid right now, with the following recipe...

Ingredients

Makes about six patties

One potato, about the size of a tennis ball

One very large parsnip, or two fairly large parsnips

The zest of one lemon

The juice of three-quarters of a lemon

Two garlic cloves, finely chopped

Dessertspoon of thyme leaves

Pinch of turmeric

Half oz cornflour

Half oz brown breadcrumbs

One half of red pepper

Salt and pepper

Oil

How you do it

Chop the parsnip(s) and potato into dice and boil until soft. Mash or puree with a stick blender, then leave to cool.

Cut the half a red pepper into two or three sections, place on a baking sheet, skin-side up, under a grill until its skin blackens and blisters. Leave to cool, then peel off the skin and chop the flesh into small pieces.

Add the lemon juice and zest, garlic, thyme, turmeric, chopped red pepper pieces, salt and pepper to the mashed potato and parsnip mix. Mix well.

Now you get to adding the cornflour and breadcrumbs. The amount you add to the mix will depend on the size of your potatoes and parsnips, so add a dessertspoon of cornflour and breadcrumbs to the mix, stir, then taste.

You should end up with a mix that's a bit tacky and damp to the touch, but not wet. You don't want it to taste too floury, so stop adding flour at the point you can begin to taste it. If the mix is still too wet, add some more breadcrumbs. Stir.

Once you've got the right mix, take handfuls of the mix and shape into patties. Shallow fry on each side until golden brown.