The Root of the Matter

Carrots are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. In my area, between zone 6 & 7 on the east coast, you can sow seeds any time from April to August. They don't need a lot of space and can be grown in containers on a patio or deck. Diseases usually don't bother them and pests are few and far between. My crop of carrots this year even survived the bunnies who found a hole in the fence and ate most everything else I tried to grow. Carrots are a little picky about the soil, since heavy soil and objects such as rocks will make them forked and crooked, but are otherwise trouble free. If you give them nice fine soil, a little organic fertilizer and remember to water them when it's dry, you'll be rewarded in 1-2 months with bunches of hardy orange deliciousness. This year I left them in the ground for a bit longer than you are supposed to, just harvesting them last week. Some of them are overly bulbous and squat, perhaps a trait of the Danvers variety that I grew.

Now that I've harvested them, what do I do with all of them? My husband eyes me a little warily when I bring heaps of freshly pulled veggies from the garden. He's said that it's like living with an Iron Chef, suddenly, it's 'battle carrot' tonight! I'm not an Iron Chef, far from it, but I am enthusiastic about every harvest. Perhaps my relish is a wee bit over the top, the carrots will keep for months in the fridge. I can't help being excited about these twisted orange roots that I nurtured through the summer and now have roused from their beds.

Out came the recipe books and then came the disappointment. Steamed carrots, glazed carrots, carrot salad and carrot cake were only distinctive alternatives I found. How could this be? The clear, earthy flavor of the carrot adds essential character to soups and the backbone to most respectable sauces. They are a member of that 'holy trinity' in cooking, in collaboration with onions and celery, one of the three major aromatic vegetables. You must have carrots to cook!

The carrot itself appears to have limited use in the kitchen on it's own. We can't cook without it, but their rustic flavor leaves carrots off most menus except in some standard roles. In restaurants I usually see a pairing of carrots with a lovely green counterpoint, like peas or broccoli. Roast meats will sometimes be graced with baby carrots, often large carrots trimmed down to baby size. Last night I made honey glazed carrots, slightly varying from a recipe found in The Tabasco Cookbook. The Tabasco in this recipe, as in many of the excellent recipes in this book, adds just a suggestion of pepper heat. Here are the leftovers:

Honey Glazed Carrots

1lb carrots, peeled & thinly sliced
1/4c golden raisins
2T butter
3T honey
1T fresh lemon juice
1/4tsp ginger
1/4tsp Tabasco
1/4c sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.

In medium saucepan, cook carrots in 1/2 inch of boiling water, covered, over medium heat for 8 minutes. Drain carrots then turn into a 1 Quart baking dish. Stir in raisin, butter, honey, lemon juice, ginger and Tabasco. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes; stir occasionally until the carrots are glazed. Spoon into serving bowl. Sprinkle with almonds, if desired.

Here's a link: http://www.tabasco.com/taste_tent/recipes/recipe.cfm?id=116&catid=8&name=Honeyed_Carrots for the original.