Food shopping with one of my offspring recently, I discovered that the said loved one would prefer not to be served meat, fish or poultry on Christmas Day. This news did not really surprise me, as I had noticed a marked change in the shopping habits over the last several months, with more and more one-kilogram bags of carrots, amongst other vegetables, being added to the trolley each week.
Carrots always go into my market basket too, for I figure that you can (almost) never have too many of them. I say 'almost' because I once knew a leading nutritionist whose skin had turned yellow-orange from eating too many carrots and too much pumpkin. It's a non-toxic condition known as Beta-carotenemia, caused by the accumulation of naturally-occurring carotenoids or richly coloured pigments synthesised by plants. The treatment, she explained to me, was to eat a low-carotene diet for a few months.
Scouring my library of cookbooks for deliciously interesting ways with vegetables, I came across a recipe by Joanna Preuss which appeared in The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook. The original recipe called for thyme infused honey, and the addition of a couple of tablespoons of sherry or white wine vinegar. Curiously, the only time Peter enjoys vinegar is malted vinegar on fish and chips, so I thought it best if left it out. Not only is this a tasty offering, it's vibrant in colour and looks quite festive too. The thing I like most about this dish is that it's a doddle to make, AND I can use my Solidteknics cast iron sauteuse which, incidentally, would make a perfect Christmas gift for the cook in your family. I use mine almost every day and cannot recommend it highly enough. SWEET BRAISED CARROTS WITH CRANBERRIES 550g carrots 1 teaspoon olive or vegetable oil 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1-2 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon chopped parsley a few sprigs of lemon thyme, optional sea salt and white pepper, to taste Peel the carrots and cut them into finger sized pieces. For large carrots, you'll cut them in half across the middle, then into halves and quarters lengthways. Warm the oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet. Toss in the carrots and, with a wooden spoon, gently stir fry them in the pan for two or three minutes. Add the butter and the stock, lower the heat and cook gently until the carrots are starting to soften, but are still relatively firm. Stir in the cranberries and honey, and heat through. Season to taste with the sea salt and white pepper. Sprinkle with the herbs before serving. This quantity will serve 4-6. Preparation time around ten minutes. Cooking time around ten minutes. Note: You can make this dish ahead of time (sans the herbs). Simply cover and store in the refrigerator, then reheat when ready to serve.
Tell me dear readers, do you like to offer your guests an assortment of vegetable dishes? Has your skin ever turned yellow-orange from eating too many carrots?
If you have time, I'd love for you to pop in and leave me a comment.
25 Comments
22/11/2015 03:32:54 am
I would find cooking for someone that has particular food preferences a challenge but I suspect you might relish the challenge!
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Lizzy
22/11/2015 04:46:06 am
Indeed, I'm quite used to it, Lorraine xx
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22/11/2015 03:17:17 pm
Ha yes food preferences are my specialty. I always do far too many vegie dishes and I am a carrot fiend. 2 or 3 a day!
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22/11/2015 04:18:25 pm
Carrots take so well to braising, don't they? Never thought to combine them with cranberries, though. Fun idea! And tasty. :-) Thanks so much.
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Eha
22/11/2015 07:13:38 pm
Honey and thyme with carrots a firm favourite: cranberries however a totally new and somehow festive touch . . . am certain it will taste as good as it looks! [Oh, delighted to find that most 'Laucke' mixes available in my on-line grocery store . . . so will be part of the Christmas order . . . and love the sound of the German and Sourdough ones also ]
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22/11/2015 10:17:45 pm
I always find carrots the hardest thing to make interesting! I like this with the cranberries, i'll have to try it. because yes, we eat plenty of vegies in our family :-)
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Lizzy
22/11/2015 10:21:07 pm
Thanks Elizabeth..... yes, I'm well aware of the difference between chicken and vegetable stock, lovely. That's why I offered both options here in my recipe x
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23/11/2015 01:05:54 am
My carrots are just about to come through. YAY! :) I am so excited, they are my go to snack, but I will restrain myself to try your gorgeous recipe.
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24/11/2015 12:20:56 am
I could do these without the cranberries and maybe even cold as a salad for summer? I make an array of vegetables every night, and thankfully even though we eat lots of carrots, my skin has not changed colour :)
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24/11/2015 05:42:22 am
Those carrots with the cranberry look great but I would prefer this as a side-dish to a main dish. My sister once went on a really restrictive diet that included lots of carrots and she become really orange - even the palms of her hands xx
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Lizzy
24/11/2015 06:02:25 am
Oh yes, Charlie, this would definitely be a side dish, even for my vegetarian loved one. But isn't it a goodie!
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25/11/2015 12:37:44 pm
My MIL had beta-carotenemia when she was dieting back in the 1990s and snacking on raw carrots to stave off hunger. I won't show her this or she might be at the carrots agin ;-)
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Simoran
25/11/2015 11:05:16 pm
What a beautiful and colorful dish, I love that you used dried cranberries!
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28/11/2015 10:11:06 pm
This would make such a pretty and festive holiday side dish!
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Mazza Berry
29/11/2015 09:35:31 am
Lizzy, would this delighful dish be suitable to serve at room temperature as a salad. Or would I need to add a little oil as a dressing.
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Lizzy
29/11/2015 04:19:22 pm
Hello Mazza, I don't think you'd need to add any oil, as you have braised the carrots in oil already... You could try it as a salad as is, I think it would be perfectly delicious.
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Vegetable dishes are the most demanding for me. In Hungarian cuisine there is the fozelek and the salad. This surprisingly limited fare was tied to seasonal availability and didn't evolve much, despite the fact that we ate meat once a week. It's as if all the creativity went into the meat dishes and the baking. Therefore I am always on the lookout for new vegetable recipes. The one thing is essential is quality ingredients.
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Scott Jasper
31/1/2016 11:09:43 pm
I think cranberries are a really underrated ingredient. I use them in a lot of salads that people just love.
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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