CarrotsI love carrots, they come in all sorts of different shapes, sizes and colours. Heston Blumenthal famously serves a dish of carrot and beetroot jellies; the beetroot is the orange one and the carrot the purple jelly, it is a strange experience!
Carrots are a good source of minerals, Vitamin C and beta carotene, they are nutritionally most beneficial when cooked. Now here’s the bad news, they won’t help you see in the dark – this was a rumour that was started by the British in World War 2 to mislead the Germans! However, you will turn orange if you eat too many, and by too many I mean if you munch on carrots all day nonstop for a few days you might notice a change of hue!
They have a natural affinity with cumin, caraway, coriander (both seed and fresh) and citrus juices most notably orange and lemon.
Carrots
Warm Moroccan Carrot Salad
- 600g (about 6 medium) carrots, peeled and cut into long wedges.
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 3 tbs orange juice
- zest of a small orange
- 1 ½ tsp cumin (freshly toasted and ground if possible)
- ½ - 1 tsp paprika
- pinch sugar
- ¼ - ½ tsp crushed garlic
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley or coriander
- salt + pepper to taste
- bunch of watercress
- 150g soft goats cheese, crumbled
Boil carrots whole in salted water until just tender. Whisk the oil, juice, zest, cumin, paprika, sugar and garlic together in a bowl. While still hot add drained carrots to dressing. Check seasoning and leave to infuse for about 15-20 minutes. When cooled add herbs and stir to coat carrots.
Put a handful of watercress on each plate and add a spoon of carrots and a sprinkling of cheese and a drizzle of dressing.
Tip
The recipe above makes a delicious side dish, just leave out the watercress and cheese.
Quick ways with Carrots
Peel carrots and cut into long wedges, place in a roasting tin and coat in olive oil and a generous sprinkle of cumin seeds. Roast until tender and coloured at the edges. Remove from pan and roughly crush with a potato masher. Put crushed carrot on a serving plate and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, a handful of crumbled feta and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with crispbreads or toasted pitta bread.