Posted on 08/02/2016 4:58:28 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
We have a ‘carrot issue’ in our household. Whenever we go grocery shopping, my husband throws a big 2-pound bag of carrots into the cart.
When I tell him that we already have a bin full (from his previous purchases) his response is, ‘I think I used some of them’ or ‘It’s ok, they last a long time’; and then he blithely wanders off, singing along with the Muzak, toward the meat counter - where he will find Great Deals on meat that we also don’t need, and for which there is no room in the freezer ;-)
If we were not small-scale preppers and usually stocked sufficiently for any adverse event, I’m convinced that my husband would be one of those people rushing to the store at the hint of a snowstorm, where you’d find him standing stoically in line with milk, bread – and a big bag of carrots. I haven't figured this out, yet... it sort of reminds me of my father's insistence, every year when I was growing up, that we buy extra 'icicles' for the Christmas tree, because "there might be a war". (My father grew up when tinsel was actually made of metal :-)
Some things are just mysteries. BUT: I have two favorite ways of eating carrots. My husband puts them under his pork roast, along with onions, where they come out wonderfully coated in the caramelized fat and drenched in the juice from the pork; and I love this recipe, which I’ve posted before: Carrots with Walnuts and Calamyrna figs (I buy nuts at Costco, and often use pecans in this recipe instead of walnuts):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHmw1sN9PXE
Another root vegetable that we have been using a lot is the lowly Radish, usually relegated to being sliced into a salad, or just used as a decoration. I think I first saw Jacques Pepin preparing raw radishes with butter and salt; and we’ve recently found a wonderful salt to use in an application like this: Grey Celtic Sea Salt. We tried it because of the purportedly superior trace mineral content, and it really is a nice salt. So far we’re using it as a ‘finishing’ salt, but will be incorporating it into our cooking as well.
Here is a recipe for the ‘butter-dipped radishes’ which are great to have along with other appetizers for drinks:
http://honestlyyum.com/13411/butter-dipped-radishes/
-JT
I grew up on carrot salad. Carrot ribbons, chopped apples, raisins and sometimes pineapple with a mayonnaise dressing. Use the pineapple juice to thin the mayonnaise.
But for something really different I found this recipe for Moroccan Raw Carrot Salad.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound carrots, coarsely grated (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
2 to 4 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin or 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Pinch of salt
About 1/2 teaspoon harissa (Northwest African chili paste), 1 tablespoon minced green chilies, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
PREPARATION
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days to allow the flavors to meld and permeate the carrots. Served chilled or at room temperature.
VARIATIONS
Moroccan Cooked Carrot Salad (Shlata Chizo Metbucha): Do not grate the carrots, but cut them on a diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cook in gently boiling water until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Toss with the dressing as above.
Moroccan Carrot-Orange Salad (Shlata Chizo):Omit the cumin and add 1 1/2 teaspoons orange blossom water or 1/2 cup fresh orange juice, 1/4 cup chopped fresh spearmint, and, if desired, 1 tablespoon sugar or honey.
Turkish Carrot Salad with Yogurt (Havuc Salatasi):Substitute 1 cup plain yogurt for the lemon juice.
Yes! I’ll bet a crunchy radish was great to have on a submarine tour!
What kind of lights did they use?
Carrots are one of the easiest and most rewarding things to dehydrate. It’s the first thing we tried with our Excalibur. We saved them a few months, and then tested them under the roast pork - you couldn’t tell the difference between those dried carrots and fresh ones.
(Apples are also very satisfying for dehydration purposes.)
-JT
Discovered a SUPER easy, delicious and quick clean up side dish for just about any entrée. It’s the small, Dutch golden potatoes that every grocery store has these days. Wash then dry them and slice in half length-wise. Put in a large mixing bowl and pour on a few teaspoons of oil, then salt and pepper plus any additional seasonings you might like. Toss the taters until well coated and mixed then place single layer on a baking sheet that you line with non-stick foil. Bake in a 375 oven for 15 minutes then take out and flip them over so the other side browns. Bake for another 20 minutes or so and serve warm. I find this works really well while fixing the other stuff like grilling steaks or lamb chops. We had them tonight with the lamb chops...yummy!
Hey...you can oven roast those carrots like the potatoes! They turn out great and, here’s the kicker, they SHRINK up so you can do a whole bag of them at one time.
How do you dehydrate yours? I sliced mine, blanched them and then dehydrated. They dehydrated very well but are suitable for soups, not for putting them under a roast.
They are chips which would take much longer than a roast to rehydrated. I use them in dry soup mixes that I make for winter.
Love dehydrated apples, I use those as snacks and in trail mix.
I haven’t seen those potatoes in the store; but my husband uses your method for any potato; he just chops them up into about 1/2 inch pieces, rolls them in olive oil and seasonings - garlic, onion, salt, basil, oregano; and roasts them. I think he wraps them up in foil. It’s one of my favorites of his dishes.
-JT
They are usually by the other potatoes in a 1 lb. netted bag
We sliced them into about 1/4 inch slices, and just dried them. Then we vacuum-packed them. They got rehydrated in the cooking juices of the roast. I really didn’t see any difference in that application than with fresh carrots, except that when we use fresh, they’re usually not sliced so thin, but chopped into about 3-inch lengths.
-JT
I’ll have to try that. I have all of the ingredients except Northwest African chili paste. Thanks.
Okay, mine should work that way then. I’ll give it a try. Thanks.
Something else to try on a day my temperatures aren’t 104 degrees. :) I refuse to turn on the oven right now. Canning is keeping the kitchen hot enough.
Ideas for Jicama are welcome. Local Safeway always has it, and some local places use it in a sort of Asian slaw. Never tried to use it though.
Just flourescents
You miss fresh veg a week past Gilbralter
They could probably do little carrots, too ;-)
Maybe even some salad greens, if there were space.
They could definitely do micro-greens (sprouts).
-JT
4 thin breast fillets dipped in a flour heavily salted and peppered.
Fry on medium in a 50-50 mix of sweet olive oil and butter. 1.5 OZ of each.
Cook til browned on both sides and done. Remove and place in warm oven.
Add zucchini sliced in 1/2 inch rounds to the pan and fry on both side just enough to brown. Not soggy. Remove and place in the oven with the chicken.
Add 1tsp flour making a rue...when you add 1.5 cups Chardonnay and 1.5 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary.
Reduce for 2mins while stirring.
Slap one of these fillets on a plate, add the zucchini and cover the chicken in the sauce.
Another short trip to heaven.
Carrots are good cut in coins, sauteed till soft in a bit of butter, then add a few teaspoons of brown sugar, allowing it to melt, then add a nip or two of a citrus juice...orange, lemon or lime. These are simple but tasty. The carrots can be either scraped or not, your choice.
There is also a recipe out there for years called Marinated Carrots Always requested at a pot luck dinner (along with green been casserole, wicked smile :-/
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/86228/marinated-carrots/
Was thinking about cottage pie using squash for the veggies.
As for carrots, my daughter likes when I coarsely grate them, just barely cook them in boilinng water with some dill, drain and butter.
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