Colorful Carrots
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I like to try new things in the garden. I remember growing radishes as a child, but I don’t think we ever grew carrots. Must have been the red clay Arkansas soil.
This season I was determined to make a try.
Again, the clay-enriched dirt of Emporia had me worried so I put together a super-mix of airy soil in a big glazed pot. Rather than a “Bugs Bunny” traditional carrot, I picked up some wacky “Kaleidoscope Mix” carrots, which, according to the picture on the seed packet, would become a rainbow of reds, yellows, oranges and white.
Growing carrots in a container turned out to be a bit more adventurous than I thought it would be. First, the soil was a little too far down from the lip of the pot, so the sun didn’t reach as many seedlings as it could have.
Second, I probably put 30 more seeds in the pot than I should have, and found myself pulling underdeveloped carrot greens for most of the summer. In the end, however, it was such a breeze to release the carrot from the loose, sandy soil with my handy weeding tool and the elevation kept the plants out of most pests’ sight-lines.
Carrots can be eaten raw or cooked. My multicolored carrots were a lot of fun. The white ones were white all the way through, as were the yellow and orange ones. But the red ones? They were red on the outside, and then bright orange on the inside! Oh well. They all still tasted good.
Here are a variety of recipes you can try with your carrots, no matter what color they are.
CARROT AND
JICAMA SALAD
1 lb. of jicama (about 1
large), peeled
4 large carrots, scrubbed, cut
into 3-inch lengths
2 large navel oranges, segmented
3 to 4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed
lime juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed
orange juice
2 to 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts,
toasted and coarsely chopped
Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, julienne the jicama and carrots and combine in a large bowl. If you prefer, use half-carrots and half-beets for more color.
Cut out the orange slices from the orange. One way to do this quickly is to slice off the ends of the oranges. Use a paring knife to remove the peel and pith from the oranges, following the curve of the fruit. Slice on either side of the membranes to remove the segments. Put your “naked” orange segments in the carrot mixture.
Whisk the lime juice into the orange juice. While whisking, drizzle in the oil to make a smooth vinaigrette. Pour this over the salad, toss to coat and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the salad to a lovely platter and sprinkle with the peanuts.
PICKLED CARROTS
1 1/2 lbs. carrots, washed
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 1/2 Tbsp. mustard seed
4 whole cloves
1 1/2 cinnamon sticks, broken
Cut carrots into thin, 3-inch sticks. Blanch in boiling water for three to four minutes. Drain and and put in a bowl.
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, water, mustard seeds, cloves and cinnamon. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour over the carrots.
Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours. Drain well and discard the cloves and cinnamon before serving.
CARROT, DILL AND WHITE BEAN SALAD
www.101cookbooks.com
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. fine grain salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 cups sliced carrots, cut
1/4-inch thick on deep bias
More olive oil for cooking
3 cups cooked white beans
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (scant)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and shallots in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.
In your largest skillet, over medium-high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil. Let them cook in a single layer — they’ll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned, which takes about 12 minutes.
Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes or until the beans as heated through. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan, do so.
Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with brown sugar and pour 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for 10 minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt, sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors.
Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.
VVV
I worked at a health food store in Memphis for many years. Our deli and our bookstore always had a copy of The Moosewood Cookbook on hand. As I was researching recipes, I read that the latest edition changed the original recipe, much to many cooks’ consternation. So here is the original, 1977 Carrot Soup, courtesy of M. McClellan at www.slashfood.com.
1977 MOOSEWOOD COOKBOOK CARROT SOUP
2 lbs. peeled or scrubbed,
chopped carrots
1 medium potato, chopped
4 cups stock or water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped onion
1-2 small cloves crushed garlic
1/3 cup chopped
cashews or almonds
3-4 Tbsp. butter
Seasoning choices:
2 pinches of nutmeg, 1/2
tsp. dried mint, dash of cinnamon
1 tsp. each of thyme,
marjoram and basil
1 tsp. grated ginger
Choose one:
1 cup milk
1 cup yogurt or buttermilk
plus a little honey
1/2 pint heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream
Place carrots, potato, liquid and salt into a medium-sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer it for 12 to 15 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature.
Sauté the onion, garlic and nuts in the butter until the onions are clear. You can sprinkle in a little salt to help draw the moisture out of the onions. Toward the end of cooking, stir in the seasoning combo of your choice.
Puree everything together in a blender until smooth. Whisk in one of the dairy products. Garnish with toasted nuts, some toasted bread crumbs or eat just as it is.
•••
Next week we’ll see who won the salsa competition. A big thanks to Nancy Garcia at Country Mart North for putting together the gift bag for the winner! After that we’ll celebrate six years of Murphy’s Menu with a lavish melange of recipes never yet published on this page. Let’s get cooking!