So let's get creative!

Our virtual dinner will be Sat Feb 28.

For those that may have missed the first Cookalong..... the idea here is to post hints, recipes and discuss the focus ingredient over the next two weeks. Recipes can use any form of the ingredient. Please mention the recipe source and whether it is one that you have already made (T+T) or one that you might be trying for the first time.

I'm going to make an attempt to link all the cookalongs together.

Nancy

Ann

Here's a partial recipe I ran across while cleaning my desk today. It is for Vietnamese dipping sauce, but it has no quantities! I simply make it to taste.

Ingredients:
fish sauce
lime juice
fresh minced Serrano chili
julienned carrot
sugar
cilantro

Carrot is not a main ingredient, but it's definitely in there. I sometimes add grated carrot to egg rolls or summer rolls, although I haven't made those recently. I think I'm in the mood for some of those now, however.

I use no more than half a carrot when I make chicken stock, or else it tastes too sweet for me. Except for the ginger soup, I can only take carrots in tiny doses - but I love ginger, and so that makes it all better.

I just remembered that the first cookalong was Ginger, and so I went to that thread (which I had not read up to this point), and found Lindac's ginger carrot soup recipe. I guess I'm a bit behind here.

Lars

Posted by: DanaIN (My Page) on Mon, Jun 7, 04 at 9

Classic Carrot Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
allspice substitute is equal amounts each:
ground cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg & pepper
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups shredded or grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups)
8 oz. Cream cheese; softened
1 stick butter or margarine; softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
Combine all ingredients and mix well with electric mixer

. Pre-heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Sift
flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices together. Beat oil, eggs,
sugar and brown sugar at medium speed for 2 minutes or until well
blended. Stir in orange juice and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture on
lowest speed, just until blended. Stir in carrots and nuts until
combines. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.

Cool completely before filling and frosting

I had my eye on this one for the ginger cookalong.

Ginger Carrot Soup (LindaC)
2 tablespoons sweet cream butter
2 onions, peeled and chopped
6 cups chicken broth
2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 cup whipping cream
Salt and white pepper
Sour cream
Parsley sprigs, for garnish
In a 6-quart pan, over medium high heat, add butter and onions and cook, stirring often, until onions are limp. Add broth, carrots, and ginger. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced.
Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Don't fill the blender more than half way, do it in batches if you have to. Cover the blender and then hold a kitchen towel over the top of the blender*. Be careful when blending hot liquids as the mixture can spurt out of the blender. Pulse the blender to start it and then puree until smooth. Return to the pan and add cream, stir over high heat until hot. For a smoother flavor bring soup to a boil, add salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with dollop sour cream and parsley sprigs.
*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.
Recipe courtesy Maxine Bonneau
Show: All American Festivals
Episode: Carrot Festival

David

Honey Roasted Vegetables

I haven't had carrot cake in many years. I can't wait to see all of the recipes for it. Carrot cake makes me feel like it's something healthy.

I love a sweet/hot or sweet/herb flavor (sweet being the carrots) so I often boil carrots and dress with garlic and rosemary (fav) or garlic and hot pepper flakes, cilantro, etc. Tonight I boiled carrots and added some very small chile peppers half way through. Drain, add some butter and salt.

This will be fun to research and see what everyone comes up with.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Coconut Roasted Shrimp
HEALTHY
ACTIVE TIME: 30 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN
SERVES: 6
The Good News A little coconut milk and shredded coconut soften the spicy edge of this soup while adding just a small amount of fat.
ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4 large carrots (3/4 pound), chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup light coconut milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
16 large shrimp, shelled
1 1/2 tablespoons shredded coconut
Pinch of cayenne pepper
directions
Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots, ginger and crushed red pepper and cook for 6 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then simmer until the carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, peanut butter and sesame oil.
In a blender, puree the soup until smooth. Return it to the saucepan and stir in the skim milk and coconut milk. Season the soup with salt and pepper and keep warm.
Toss the shrimp with the coconut, cayenne and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread the shrimp on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes, or until pink. Ladle the carrot-ginger soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the coconut shrimp.
NOTES One Serving 230 cal, 11 gm total fat, 3.6 gm saturated fat, 17 gm carb, 3 gm fiber.
Crispy Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients:
24 medium Shrimp
3/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Garlic and herb seasoning
1 Egg, well beaten
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 cup shredded Coconut
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray large baking sheet with non-stick spray. Sprinkle shrimp evenly with seasoning blend and pepper. Place flour, egg, and coconut in three small separate bowls. Dip shrimp first in egg, then flour, then back in egg, then generously in coconut. Arrange shrimp on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve with dipping sauce. Makes 4 servings.
***********************************************************

This is another side dish I make often. I love the combination of cardamom and carrots!

Cardamom Glazed Carrots

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound spring baby carrots, washed and unpeeled
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Zest of ½ orange
½ of a fresh lemon
Chopped chervil, for garnish

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-low heat. Add butter and melt, stirring to incorporate. Add carrots and cardamom. Toss with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium, and add the orange juice. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until carrots are just tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and bring to a boil, cooking off the excess liquid. Remove the pan from the heat, add orange zest and toss. Place in a warmed bowl, sprinkle with chervil leaves and taste. Add a drizzle of fresh lemon juice just to brighten the flavors. Serve immediately.

I've posted this recipe before but it's one of our favorite salads for lunch, especially in winter.

MARRAKESH CARROTS – 4 servings

1 pound whole carrots, peeled and trimmed
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. sweet paprika
½ tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

Place the carrots in a pot of cold water over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook until soft but not mushy, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and cool under cold water.

Meanwhile, place the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Whisk in the oil and then the remaining ingredients except parsley.

Cut the carrots into bite-sized dice. Add to the dressing and toss. Stir in parsley. Season with additional salt or spices to taste.

For about 20 years, I've cooked most of my meals for the following week on Saturday mornings. This baked pork and carrot dish reheats easily in the microwave so is often part of the cook-a-thon. For the pork, I like to bone and cube lean country style spare ribs, then use the bones for soup broth. That cut is aften on sale at the farmers' market in winter, when not as many people are buying them for grilling. It's best with the dark green celery leaves, if you can get celery with untrimmed tops.

PORK & CARROT CASSEROLE

2 Tbs. salad oil
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. pork pieces, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 large carrots, peeled
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup lightly packed chopped celery leaves
1 Tbs. brown sugar
3 Tbs. dry red wine
1 tsp. salt (or less to taste
1/4 tsp. pepper

In skillet over high heat, brown pork cubes in oil, stirring frequently. With slotted spoon, remove meat to 1 1/2 qt. casserole.

Meanwhile, cut each carrot crosswise into thirds, then lengthwise into thin slices. Cut onion in half lengthwise, then crosswise into thin slices.

Preheat over to 350. In drippings remaining in skillet over medium heat, cook carrots and onions until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and heat to boiling, stirring to loosen any brown bits from bottom of skillet. Pour sauce into casserole with meat, stirring to mix. Cover casserole and bake 45 minutes to one hour, or until meat is tender.

Good served with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

A carrot a day is recommended to reduce risk of heart attack. A Harvard study showed that those who eat five carrots a week are less likely to suffer a stroke than those who eat one per month. The beta-carotene in carrots is converted to vitamin A which helps prevent cataracts and has shown to decrease the likelihood of certain types of cancer.
Here's one link with more information, although I think we all know carrots are a super healthy food. Okay I'll get down off my box now.

We have carrot nearly every day though, either grated into salad or steamed as part of a vegetable mixture.

I can second David's choice of Marilyn's (DanaIN) carrot cake and icing. It is the best! But I'm looking around to see if I have anything that doesn't have too many calories and I might pick World's Best Meatloaf which has grated carrot in it and I haven't made it for a while.

WORLD'S BEST MEATLOAF

1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs - (tear up soft sliced bread - don't use fine crumbs as for breading)
1 1/2 lb ground meat (beef or pork & beef) (about 700 grams)
1 beaten egg
1 onion chopped fine
1/4 teasp dry Colman's (or similar) mustard
1/8 teasp ground sage
1/2 teasp ground thyme
1 1/2 teasp salt

1/4 teas pepper
1/8 teasp nutmeg
1 chopped green pepper
1 tin condensed tomato soup (eg Campbells's)
3/4 cup grated celery
3/4 cup grated carrot

1) Mix meat with egg, add onion and seasonings and bread crumbs, greens and carrots

2) Add half the tin of soup and mix everything well. Turn into greased loaf pan or glass casserole dish 8.5 x 11 inches and pour remaining soup over the top, smoothing it evenly over all.

3)Bake 350 F (177 C) for 1 1/4 hours.

Plated

Source: American Pro Footbal Player's Wife in 1963

My Notes:

1) I use 'tomate frito' instead of the condensed soup. It's a rich fried Spanish tomato puree but otherwise condensed soup is good. Never use ketchup !
2) I usually double the amount of the ground spices with the exception of salt.

SharonCb

I don't use carrots as often as I should so I'll be interested in the recipes.

This recipe from Joe is very tasty.

Chinese Pork A L'orange

1 Lb pork tenderloin
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tsp sesame oil
1 Clove garlic minced
2 cross slices ginger root peeled and minced
1/2 Tsp ground white pepper
1 Tbl corn starch
1 Tbl grated orange rind
3/4 Cup orange juice
1 Tbl cornstarch
1 Tbl soy sauce
1/4 Cup corn syrup
4 Tsp peanut oil divided
2 large carrots peeled and sliced diagonally ("Chinois")
2 stalks celery peeled and sliced diagonally
1/2 Cup cashews

Cut pork tenderloin into thin strips, about 2-3 inches long, 3/4-inch wide and 1/8-inch thick. Mix in a bowl with the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, gingerroot, white pepper and corn starch. Allow to marinade 15-30 minutes.

Combine next six ingredients, stirring well.

Heat two teaspoons oil in wok or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and celery, stir-frying about 3 minutes. Remove vegetables, set aside. Pour remaining oil into skillet. Add pork, stir-fry for about 3 minutes.

Return vegetables to pan, add orange juice mixture and cashews. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat, until thickened.
Serve over hot rice or with lo mein noodles.

Joe

Here is a great carrot casserole I often serve at Christmas but usually Easter.

Baked Baby Carrot Gratin With Horseradish Crumbs

2 Lb fresh baby carrots

Veloute Sauce
2 Tbl butter
1 small onion finely chopped
3 Tbl flour
2 1/2 Cup vegetable or chicken stock
2 Tsp lemon juice
1 Tsp Dijon mustard

Crumb Topping

1 Cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 Cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbl Horseradish squeezed dry
2 Tsp fresh thyme
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp pepper
2 Tbl butter melted

Preheat oven to 375.

Butter a 8 1/2 X 12 gratin dish or a 7 X 11 baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook carrots for about 8 minutes until cooked but still crisp. Drain and spread out in the prepared dish.

While carrots are cooking make sauce. Melt butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add onion, cook until soft, Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in stock. Return to the heat and cook until mixture thickens and boils. Add lemon juice and mustard. Drain through a fine sieve, pour over top of carrots.

Combine ingredients for the crumbs and scatter over the carrots. Bake for 20 minutes, until sauce bubbles and crumbs are golden. OR cover and refrigerate until needed. Bake cold gratin for 35 to 40 minutes.

Just kidding, but here are two on my to try list:

Carrot Souffle (a 2001 Holiday Recipe Contest runner up--I have no idea the source of this recipe) 8 servings
1 lb. carrots, peeled & chopped
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 c. sugar
3 T all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. vanilla extract

Bring carrots & water to cover to boil in a med. saucepan; cook 45 min. or until tender. Drain. Process carrots in food processor until smooth. Stir together puree, eggs, & remaining ingredients. Spoon into lightly greased 1 qt. baking dish. Bake 350 45 min. or until set. (Trish Conroy)

Carrot and Ginger Soup
The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook (Eileen/barnmom)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
1-1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into half-inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pinch curry powder
salt and pepper, to taste
Snipped fresh chives or chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and saute for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the stock, wine and carrots. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the carrots are very tender, about 45 minutes.
Puree the soup in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade. Season with lemon juice, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or chilled. Serves 6.

DH and I love carrots and two of my easy go to veggie options are sauteed carrots with dried basil or orange carrots (sauteed in oj concentrate--I love the new Langers brand for cooking purposes).

I also love carrot cake and carrot soup. I love roasted carrots, oh, and don't mind eating them raw. I'm with you, though, on those fake "baby" carrots.

I just planted a bunch of carrot seeds in my garden last week. I don't think they'll be ready in time for this cook-off, though. lol

Sally

I actually like Carrot Cake but I don't really want to make another one. Too big for two.

Ann

Cathy

Here's a super simple recipe for scalloped carrots that I have liked a lot (and a long time - since I was a kid, in fact). You don't mix the cheese in the sauce, you layer it thus it remains more 'there' instead of becoming one with the sauce. :)

Cheese Scalloped Carrots

6 medium carrots, sliced and cooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

sauce:
2 T chopped onion
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/2 tsp salt
pinch dry mustard
pepper
1 cup milk

buttered bread crumbs (or whatever topping you prefer)

Make a layer using half the carrots, half the cheese, then half the sauce. Repeat and top with buttered crumbs.

Bake at 350 for 25 or so minutes; till heated through.

Judi

I do like carrots, but I'll still be in Texas. Maybe I can find something with carrots to have for lunch with Brenda that day, LOL.

I had to sit out the garlic cookalong because Elery came home to cook dinner for me for Valentine's Day, now I'm out of town for this one.

Maybe the next one, although I'd just love a piece of carrot cake right now.

Annie

Carrots & Parsnips with Rosemary

8 carrots
8 parsnips
1 branch fresh rosemary
3 cups chicken stock
6 tbls chilled butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Cut carrots and parsnips into thin, 2-3 inch julienne strips. Chop the rosemary leaves.

Bring stock to a simmer. Blanch the carrots in the stock until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and cook the parsnips in the same stock until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove parsnips.

Boil the stock until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 25 minutes. Swirl in the butter. Stir in the rosemary, carrots and parsnips. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Judi

Vegan Visitor - Internet

ASIAN PEA & CARROT SALAD

1/2 Lb Snow Peas, thinly sliced lengthwise, julienne
1 Lb Baby Carrots, thinly sliced lengthwise, matchsticks
1 teaspoon Freshly Grated Ginger, peeled
4 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
Pinch Sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Sesame seeds, black if you can find them

In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.

If using regular white sesame seeds, lightly toast them in a dry pan until they just become golden over a medium-high heat. If using the black sesame seeds, you may skip this step.

Wash and thinly slice the vegetables. Toss them together in your serving bowl with your fingers to mix.

Drizzle and toss the dressing over the peas and carrots.
Sprinkle over the sesame seeds to serve.

I love carrot raw in my salads and cooked with Pot Roast and Beef Stew. Cooked carrots with maple syrup or honey are quite good.

Linda's soup sounds very good.

Carrot Cake is one of my favorites and was my Dad's too. I've made Carrot Cake in a loaf type form in the past so it is not a large cake because that's a lot for us also if just eating by ourselves. I'll have to dig up that recipe but very similar to others.

Barefoot Carrot Salad
2007, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved
Prep Time: hr min Inactive Prep Time: hr min Cook Time: hr min Level:
Easy Serves:
2 to 3 servings

1/3 cup golden raisins
1 pound carrots
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup diced fresh pineapple

Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and then drain.

Fit a food processor with the grating blade. Cut the carrots in half and place in the feed tube so they are lying on their sides. Process in batches. Place the grated carrots in a medium bowl, add the lemon juice and toss.

For the dressing, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar and salt. Pour the dressing over the carrots and add the pineapple and raisins. Toss together and serve.

Printed from FoodNetwork.com on Tue Feb 17 2009

© 2009 Scripps Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Salmon fillets in serving size pieces OR you may use any nice firm fish -- halibut steaks are nice too

Vegetables:

grated carrots
green onions, chopped
garlic clove, minced
green pepper, thinly sliced
fresh mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper

Use any vegetable combination you like; saute in butter or oil of your choice until ALMOST cooked through. Note: The vegetables must be saute'd before baking, as they won't be done in the same amount of time as the fish.

Put fish on parchment paper or foil; salt and pepper to taste; top with saute'd vegetables; close up the packets. Put onto baking sheet. Bake 325 for 30-40 minutes (depending on serving size and fish thickness).

I serve the salmon with a cucumber sauce.

Very nice served with Mexican rice w/peas and carrots

I had plan on being in on all of them..but my time management has been sucking lately! LOL

Who knows if I'm in on this one or not..I love carrots..cooked, savory or sweet..raw...whatever..so it's not hard at all to make something..used them in fried rice lastnight..maybe I'll makes some carrot whoopie pies..or carrot cake muffins for hubby's lunch box...

Carrots Vichy

2 c. thinly sliced carrots
4 TB melted butter
6 TB water
1 t. sugar
s&p to taste

Cook carrots in boiling salted water for 2 minutes.
Drain. Run under cold water, drain again. Add butter, water, sugar, s&p. Cook over medium heat, tossing carrots with a spoon for 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates and carrots are glazed. Serves 4.

I've got a muffin recipe and another for cold pickled carrots that I will post when I get home tonight.
Teresa

SharonCb

This muffin recipe is soooooo good! You can tell yourself they are healthy - carrots and whole wheat....duh!

Carrot Honey Date Muffins

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 TB grated orange peel
1 cup reg. or all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 TB baking powder
1 t. salt
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup diced, pitted dates

Heat oven to 425 F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Melt butter with honey. Stir in milk, then eggs and orange peel, beat to blend well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir well with a whisk to mix. Stir in the butter mixture, when well mixed stir in the carrots and dates.

Spoon into the greased muffin cups. Bake 15-20 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Let the muffins stand on a rack still in the cups for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Serve warm with butter and/or orange marmalade. Source: Country Living, 1982.

I love to fix these marinated carrots during hot weather; and, they're good for you too!

Marinated Spiced Carrots

1 lb. carrots, peel, cut into 3-inch long thin sticks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 TB mustard seed
3 whole cloves
1 3-inch piece of stick cinnamon, broken in half

Blanch carrot sticks in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain, cool, and drain again. Put into a bowl.

In a saucepan, combine the rest. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat. Simmer 10 minutes. Pour over the carrots and let cool. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Drain off the marinade to serve.

1 pound (about six medium) carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick on the the bias

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons juice from one lemon

Ground black pepper

Bring carrots, salt, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the chicken broth to a boil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, covered, over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are almost tender when poked with the tip of a paring knife, about 5 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to high, and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the butter and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar to the skillet. Toss the carrots to coat and cook, stirring frequently until the carrots are completely tender and the glaze is light gold, about 3 minutes. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer the carrots to a serving dish, scraping the glaze from the pan into the dish. Season to taste with pepper and serve immediately.

My note: I've made this many times and the measurements don't have to be exact. I usually use more carrots and salted butter. It doesn't make much difference. These are really good.

Almond Cake with Carrots, with Lemon Thyme Sorbet
Source: Patricia Wells Vegetable Harvest

1 tsp almond oil for pan
1 1/4 cups unblanched almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups grated carrots

Lemon sauce:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tbsp sugar

Lemon Thyme Sorbet (optional) (below)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. Drizzle almond oil into 9 1/2-inch springform cake pan and, using paper towels, rub it all over the bottom and sides. Set aside.
3. Toast the almonds: place almonds in a small, dry skillet over moderate heat. Shake the pan regularly until the nuts are fragrant and evenly toasted, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully, they can burn easily. Transfer the nuts to a large plate to cool.
4. In a food processor or blender, combine the sugar and almonds and chop until fairly fine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and blend. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the eggs and stir to blend. Add the carrots and stir to blend. The batter will be fairly thick but should not be dry.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth out the top with a spatula. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until golden and firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
6. Transfer to a rack to cool. After 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges of the pan. Release and remove the side of the springform pan, leaving the cake on the pan base.
7. While the cake cools, prepare the sauce: Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Serve the cake at room temperature. Cut it into thin wedges and top with the warm lemon sauce and a scoop of sorbet. The cake should be served the same day it is baked.

Lemon Thyme Sorbet
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon thyme leaves
juice and zest of 2 lemons

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, thyme, and 2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to steep for 1 hour.
2. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the thyme leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Transfer to an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. The sorbet should be served as soon as it is made.

Jicama Carrot Salsa
Source: From the Earth to the Table, John Ash

1/2 cup finely diced jicama
1/3 cup finely diced carrot
1/2 cup seeded and diced ripe plum tomato
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp seeded and minced habanero chile (or to taste)
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients, adding honey, salt, and pepper as desired. Store
covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Moroccan Carrot, Radish, and Orange Salad
Source: From Tapas to Meze, Joanne Weir

2 oranges
2 carrots, peeled and cut into paper-thin slices
12 red radishes, trimmed and cut into paper-thin slices
juice of 1/2 orange
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp orange flower water
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
small pinch of cayenne
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

With a knife, cut the top and bottom off the oranges. Do not peel. Cut off the skin with a knife, leaving no white pith remaining. Cut the oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Place in a bowl with the carrots and radishes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, orange flower water, cinnamon, cayenne, sugar, salt and pepper.

Add the vinaigrette to the oranges, carrots, and radishes and toss together. Place on a platter, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Joanne

I may participate if I feel up to cooking this weekend. I am torn between two pies, one is carrot cumin tart from my Williams and Sonoma Vegetable cookbook, and the other recipe is for a carrot ginger tart from "La Cucina Ebraica Favorites of the Italian Jewish Kitchen" by Joyce Goldstein. Both recipes are going to be a PITA for me since I am crust-challenged, but the pictures on both look so cute!

I scanned them so you can see. I don't have a camera to take pictures of my own food, but I do have a scanner to scan those cookbooks. I really like both of them.

Here's a carrot cake recipe from "La Cucina Ebraica" I have made it before and liked it, although I like the kind of carrot cake with pineapple the best. I like those big bundt pan carrot cakes, but living alone I can never eat one and it's not worth the trouble greasing and flouring the pan for them, just to cut them up and freeze them. I make carrot cupcakes if I do ever make carrot cake. I like this carrot cake because it is not quite so large and also not quite so gooey sweet. Very nice dessert for a small italian dinner party. This one's for Ann T.

Torta di Carote del Veneto - Carrot Cake from the Veneto
From Joyce Goldstein's "La Cucinca Ebraica"

Use the sweetest, most flavorful organic carrots--not starchy giants. Serves 8

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
2 cups all purpose flour (I invariably use some whole wheat pastry flour)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
4 cups finely grated carrots (about 1 lb.)
1/2 cup ground toasted almonds

Confectioners' sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch cake pan, line it with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. (Note: I made cupcakes and used paper liners). In a bowl, beat togther the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and almond and vanilla extracts and lemon zest and beat until thoroughly incorporated. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Fold the flour mixture into the batter, then fold in the carrots and almonds. Pour into the prepared cake pan.

Bake until golden and the top springs back to the touch, 45-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. When cool invert the cake, lift off the pan, peel off the parchment paper, and turn upright on a serving platter. Sift a light dusting of confectioners' sugar over the top.

Can serve with a dollop of mascapone cheese.

Here's the savory carrot-cumin tart recipe

Carrot and Cumin Tart from the Williams Sonoma Vegetable cookbook.

1 recipe Tart Pastry, partially blind baked
2 TBLSP unsalted butter
5-6 green onions, white and tender green parts thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
3-4 cups thinly sliced peeled carrots
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 extra large whole eggs, plus 1 large or extra large egg yolk
1 1/3 cups heavy cream or half and half
Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups of shredded Gruyere, Emmenthaler, or Jarlsberg cheese

Prepare the deep pastry crust and directed and let cool. (I'll type the directions at the bottom). To make the filling, heat a large heavy frying pan over medium heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the butter. When it begins to foam, add the green onions and saute until wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Bring a saucepan three fourths full of water to a boil. Add salt to taste, the sugar, and the carrots and parboil until half cooked and bright orange, 1-2 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a small frying pan over med. heat, (LR's comments--got a lot of dishes going on to wash here!), toast the cumin seeds until they are fragrant and take on a little color, 2-3 minutes. Pour onto a plate and let cool. (LR's comments, yeah, right, or just add some ground cumin to the pie, toasted a little bit first with the green onions).

In a bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolk, cream, and nutmeg until blended, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips.

Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over the bottom of the cooled pastry crust. Arrange as many of the carrot slices into the crust as will fit tightly, sprinkling them with the cumin and green onions as you add them. Pour the cream mixture over the carrots, filling the tart pan almost to the rim. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Bake until the top is golden brown and the filling is set, 25-30 minutes. Remove from th oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes. If using a tart pan with a removable bottom, place the pan on your outstretched palm and let the ring fall away, then slide the tart onto a serving plate.

Blind baking: Also called prebaking (so why not call it that then!), blind baking means partially or completely baking a pie or tart shell before filling it. To partially blind bake a tart shell, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay a sheet of parchment paper over the pastry-lined tart pan, it should extend slightly beyond the rim. Weight it down with pie weights, raw rice, or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes until just set, then remove the weights and parchment. Prick the bottom of the still-soft crust with a fork and return to the oven until the crust sets and colors slightly, 5-10 minutes longer. Let cool on a rack before filling.

Note: I could also type up their pastry recipe instructions, but I'm not going to do it unless someone really wants to do this exactly as the total recipe is written for. If I would make this I think I might use my whole wheat oil crust for this tart. Or just a pre-bought crust.

Here's their tart pastry ingredients

Williams and Sonoma Tart Pastry Ing.

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
10 TBLSP chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4-5 TBLSP ice water

There's a big difference in taste between truly fresh carrots and those things you get in the plastic bag. I do buy the bagged carrots most of the time, but when I really want a treat, I'll spring for the freshest carrots I can get. Those are the ones that still have the green tops on them, and they just look and feel fresh and crisp. I'm still trying to master carrot growing. The carrots I grow in my garden rarely get larger than a stubby pencil, but I keep working at it. Alas, the seeds I just planted just won't be grown in 2 weeks.

When I want a simple dish of carrots, I'll slice them into coins and saute them in a little butter, and sprinkle a little bit of fresh chopped bronze fennel leaves. If you don't have bronze fennel, regular fennel or dill leaves work too. I just happen to have better luck growing bronze fennel, and the dark color contrasts nicely with the carrots. The fennel flavor goes very well with carrots.

Sally

Czechoslovakian Apple and Carrot Confetti

Notes from the cookbook about the recipe:

"Apple and Carrot Cnfetti is a light and refreshing side dish or snack that takes almost no time to prepare. The amount of sugar needed, if any, will depend on the tartness of the apples and your preference for sweet or tart. Although I never add any sugar when I make this dish (I haven't a sweet tooth in my head), believe me, the traditional Czechoslovakian cook would not dream of omitting it."

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
4 apples (enough for 2 cups grated)
2 cups grated carrots
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons currants
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 - 3 tablespoons sugar (optional)

mint leaves

Combine the lemon juice and orange juice. Grate the apples directly into the juices or they will turn brown quickly. Toss the apples with the rest of the ingredients and serve immediately, garnished with fresh mint leaves.

My note - I prefer dried cranberries to raisons or currents, so I substitute them for the currents, but whatever sounds good to you. I also have added slivered toasted almonds or walnuts to this dish at times.

Sally

CARROT CUSTARD – serves 6

14 oz. carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbs. butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbs. evaporated milk (I used Greek yogurt)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and put rack in middle oven position. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan and set aside. Put a kettle of water on to boil.

Boil carrots until very tender, about 30 minutes, and drain. In blender or food processor, process carrots with the butter for 10 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and process for 30 seconds more, until well pureed. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Pour mixture into cake pan and put the pan in a large ovenproof pan. Pour enough boiling water around it to come halfway up the side of the cake pan. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Mixture will be firm and set. If using immediately, allow enough time to let it rest for 10 minutes after it has been taken out of the water. When ready to serve, loosen edges gently with a knife and invert it onto the serving platter.

-------
I made half a recipe and baked it in three custard cups instead of the larger pan. It was pretty but so light and fluffy in texture, it was more like a warm mousse without any sweetening, which was weird. DH and I weren't sure whether we liked it or not.

It might have been that I served it with spinach sauteed with garlic and a rice blend cooked in beef broth with sauteed mushrooms and chopped scallions. Both had strong flavors that overpowered the carrot dish.

It really does look pretty. And the shape of it turned out so nice. I have fun trying those 'strange' recipes. You just never know what will happen but that's part of the fun.

Ann_F

Slice your carrots and add water to come not quite to the top of the carrots. Salt the water. Cover the pot, bring to a boil and then simmer until carrots are tender. The water should have reduced slightly. Keep water on carrots and add milk to cover carrots. Bring back to a boil and thicken with a cornstarch slurry. Turn off and add a good tablespoon or two of butter and stir in. Taste for salt and adjust.

This simple dish is the veggie that Christy always asks for as her choice for Thanksgiving dinner. I like them too and of course always think of my Mother when I make them. I think what makes them so good is keeping the cooking liquid in them and salting the water just right. We never use pepper in them, but that's up to ya'll.

Roasted Carrots

Slice carrots into thick "coins" and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Mix 1 cup orange juice with 1 or 2 shots of whiskey and pour over the top. I fill the pan about half way with carrots when I make it, so that amount of whiskey/juice is good for that amount of carrots - you can reduce or increase the amount if you're making more or less - it's not critical if you're off a little. And I HATE whiskey, but in this dish it adds a great taste!

Grind fresh sea salt and pepper over the top, dot with butter all over, cover with foil, and bake at 350 until done to desired. I like my carrots with a bit of bite still in them.

I also uncover them for the last 10-15 minutes to make sure the liquids turn into a "glaze" and the carrots brown a bit. You might need to add a bit more juice at this point if there isn't enough liquid left so what's left doesn't just burn up.

You can also drizzle some maple syrup over the top after you dot them with the butter, but I find they're sweet enough without it. Sometimes I add it and sometimes I don't.

Lisa

I am leaning towards making the carrot tart for a dessert, (I don't know if it will be good or not, it is mostly a curiosity thing) but we'll see, because my weekend plans haven't firmed up yet.

Lisa

Simmer Carrots in Coconut Cream. That’s it!

I always have baby carrots on hand and a can of Coconut Cream in the pantry. It *has* to be Coconut Cream which you find in the Liquor Isle. It doesn’t contain liquor – but I guess it is used for certain mixed drinks? Anyway – this will *not* work with Coconut Milk. The Coconut Cream is slightly sweet.

In fact I just shared your recipe with the guy ahead of me at the checkout line. He had a huge bag of carrots. Turns out the carrots were for his horse.

Horsey Carrotts
1 bag of baby carrots or 12 carrots, pared/sliced
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs grated horseradish, more or less to taste
1/4 - 1/3 cup grated onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup fresh, buttered bread crumbs
Cook carrots until tender; drain. Put in 1 quart baking dish. Preheat oven to 300. Combine mayonnaise and horseradish. Add onion, salt and pepper. Mix well and stir into carrots. Sauté breadcrumbs in enough butter to coat and put on top of carrot mixture in baking dish. Bake 15 minutes. Can be done ahead and baked before dinner.

Last night I made the following carrot heavy recipes:
Piquant Carrots
Worlds Best Meatloaf

Which both met with huge approval....

And I am making Marilyns Carrot Cake for DHs Birthday celebration this weekend....

Do I qualify? LOL!

Alexa

Lisa, the roasted carrots sound really good, but so does the carrot cumin tart. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

Sally

Tashkent Carrot Salad

Carrots — 2 lbs.
Coriander — 1 tsp
Garlic — 4 cloves
Olive oil — 6 T
White vinegar — 6 T
Paprika — to taste
Salt — to taste
Pepper — to taste
Sugar — 2 T

Thinly shred carrots, mix with sugar and crushed garlic. Let stand for 10 minutes to get the juices out. Mix with the rest of seasoning. Let marinate for 6 hours. Mix thoroughly before serving as juices tend to collect on the bottom of the dish. Serve chilled. (serves 6)

Sally

Maple Carrot Muffins

1 1/2 cups unsifted flour (can use some oatmeal if you like)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (optional, I am a health nut who is always trying to cut the sugar)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup melted margarine (I think butter would be OK too. Or 1/4 cup vegetable oil)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt (or less)
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (or less)
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Grate carrots and set aside. Combine the carrots with the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and MIX WELL! Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake 18-20 min. (or more)
Cool 5 min.
Store in the fridge because these muffins are moist and they'll mold otherwise.

Notes: The reason I have so many "optional" notes in this recipe is because I am always trying to cut the high calorie/fat ingredients down to the minimum levels without sacraficing good taste. Everyone has their own ideas about this, so you'll have to use your judgement. I am probably on the more "healthy" side of taste, which is not for everyone. Also, I usually use paper lined muffin tins, but if you don't want to do that you have to grease the muffin tins with some type of shortening. With the variability of the baking time, I suggest inserting a toothpick in the muffins to test them. When the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done. But watch carefully, because maple syrup burns easier than white sugar sweetened baked goods. But the taste is worth the trouble, IMHO.

Carbonada Criolla (Argentinian Tsimmes) I think I got this recipe from the Detroit Free Press and I think it came from Joan Nathan.

I make this as a stuffing for baked squash. The best time I ever made it I stuffed a small baked hubbard squash with it. The squash was about the size of a smallish football.

Start by baking the cleaned squash halves at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. I always have trouble baking squash perfectly, so use whatever method works best for you. Meanwhile, make the tsimmes. Traditionally tsimmes is put in an oven or on the back of the stove on the evening of the Sabbath so it will be ready to eat the next day after a long slow cooking, and no more work will have to be put into it. This would work in a crockpot too, I think.

2 TBLSP vegetable oil
2 cups dark red kidney beans, or fake meat or baked or smoked tofu. (The original recipe called for some kind of meat, probably ground chuck?)
1 large coarsely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 12 oz. can chopped italian style tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes (parboil for faster prep. time)
1 large or 2 small white potatoes (I always cook with Yukon gold, parboil as above if you want)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 med. carrots, large dice
1 small can corn or 2/3 cup from a frozen bag
4-8 pitted prunes (to taste, I like the lesser amount)
4-8 dried peach halves or dried apples

Saute onions, garlic and protein source until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, and veg. broth, bring to a boil then simmer. Add potatoes and carrots. Simmer 30 min. Add some water or more broth if needed. Add corn and fruit, simmer 15 min. more.

Stuff tsimmes into squash, bake in the oven for 15 min. more. You can top this with bread crumbs, parmesean cheese, or grated white cheddar, or any type of mixuture, but it is not necessary. Could also add a dollop of lowfat sour cream and sprinkle with chopped parsley. That's how I like it.

Here's a carrot pie that is lower in fat than that carrot-cumin tart and something I have made before. The recipe comes from "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" by Mollie Katzen.

Russian Carrot Pie

TBLSP butter
1 cup onions, finely minced
1 lb. carrots, very thinly sliced
1 TBLSP unbleached white flour

Saute the onions in butter, add the carrots and cook until tender. Can add up to 3 TBLSP of water to keep from sticking. At the end, sprinkle in the flour to brown slightly.

Combine 1 1/2 cups firm cottage or pot cheese
1/2 cup grated mild white cheddar
1 beaten egg
lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dill weed

Mix this with the carrots. Put into prepared pie crust (not prebaked) and sprinkle top with 3 TBLSP wheat germ and some paprika.

Bake 15 min at 375 then turn down to 350 for 39 min. Cool 5 min.

Here's my regular pie crust recipe. It is very different from a shortening crust, but I still like it. I got the recipe and technique from my friend Martha

Pie Crust (makes top and bottom crust)
2 cups flour - I usually use half whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. salt
Mix these together
Put 4 TBLSP COLD water into 1/2 cup oil. Stir until it bubbles/starts to emulsify if that's the right word (gets well combined)
Pour liquid into flour and stir. Separate into two piles and roll out into rounds between layers of WAXED paper. You can cut this recipe in half for just a bottom crust pie.

If you want to get fancy with the crust for this pie, your can mix in some poppy seeds or ground sesame seeds, maybe 2 TBLSP.

we tried potato as well. The carrots cooked at H10,L10,M5 for 6 minutes and then looked like this:

My DH loved the result, told me that the bacon added an interesting touch to it. The potatoes did not get anything extra from the bacon, I guess the potato skin is too thick to let bacon juices through.

Now today I did the carrot pie/bread and at the same time the other half was roasted beef mozzarella cheese. I use sweet dough recipe from my Cuisinart bread machine recipe book. Any dough recipe that is meant for rolls or probably even pizza will do. The carrot mix for 1 lb of dough is supposed to be:
1 lb of cooked and shredded carrots,
2 cooked eggs, chopped to little pieces,
2 table spoons of melted butter,
salt and pepper to taste.
Mix it all together and spread on the dough like on the photo:

Roll it and let it rise another 30 - 40 min before baking.
I baked this in 375F for 30 min. For me it was little over cooked, so next time I will try 350F for 30 min. Also, next time I will double the amount of carrot mix, as for me it was not nearly enough. But it did taste like my moms. And the roasted beef side, just heaven :)

Ingredients

Cake:

* 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 Tbsp baking soda
* 1 Tbsp cinnamon
* 1 1/2 cups olive oil or grapeseed oil
* 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped (more whole or chopped for topping)
* 1 1/2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
* 2 cups of finely grated carrots
* 1 cup of drained crushed pineapple

Frosting:

* 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
* 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
* 2 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9 inch cake pans. Cut out rounds of wax paper and place at bottoms of cake pans. Butter the top of the wax paper rounds.

2 Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in chopped walnuts, coconut, carrots and pineapple.

3 Pour batter into pans. Set on the middle rack of oven and bake for 45-50 minutes (shift positions of cakes front-to-back if necessary about halfway through), until edges have pulled away from sides and a toothpick or sharp knife tip inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a cake rack.

4 To prepare frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Slowly sift in the confectioners sugar and beat until mixture is free of lumps. Stir in vanilla and lemon juice.

5 Once cakes have cooled, frost. Sprinkle top with chopped walnuts or arrange walnut halves in a crown around the top.

Serves 12-16.

recipe from Simply Recipes

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 carrot, finely, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, finely diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 pound veal, ground
1 pound pork, ground
1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, ground
1/2 tube tomato paste
1 cup milk
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the carrot, onions, celery, and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the veal, pork, and pancetta and stir into the vegetables. Add the meat over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned. Add the tomato paste, milk, and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.

We use a lot of carrots but I don't care much for them cooked, I always eat mine before they go in with the pot roast. Julienned in a stir fry, diced/pureed in soup or shredded in cakes etc. are ok.

Lars, I had some wonderful ginger carrot soup at a fundraiser soup and bread dinner. I have the recipe in a local cookbook at the library...I'll find it next week.

Jeri, we prowled a cool little Asian market yesterday and I bought some coconut cream. Was wondering what to do with it. My carrots are all small...this is perfect.

We've been making plain old carrot and raisin or carrot, raisin and pineapple salad. Mayo for the dressing. Makes the kid feel like she's 5 again, she says.

Our favorite carrot cake is very much like cabogirl's, but with a cream cheese glaze/ not-quite-frosting....just softened cream cheese and honey to taste.

This was in a recipe booklet I found in a box of donations - Taste of Home,I think. Maybe next year I'll get carrots big enough to stuff.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Baked Stuffed Carrots

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
12 medium carrots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons grated onion
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter -- melted, divided
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Place carrots in a skillet; add 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until crisp-tender. drain.

Cut a thin lengthwise slice out of each carrot. Scoop out carrot, leaving a 1/4-in. shell; set shells aside.Place the removed carrot in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl; add mayonnaise, onion, horseradish, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Spoon into carrot shells.

Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Combine the crumbs, 1 tablespoon butter and paprika; sprinkle over carrots. Drizzle with remaining butter.

Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Yield: 6 servings

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I'm sorry I missed that garlic cookalong...

Thanks to Nancy (and Sherry) for inspiring us to have this little impromtu dinner party--I visited 2 markets and Costco and was able to be ready to go by 7pm!

Katie, I had saved the same stuffed carrot from and old Taste of Home magazine and pulled it out for carrot week. I cooked and carved out the carrots yesterday and refrigerated them and the centers to finish off for dinner one night this week. I'm not sure about the mayo but I'll never know unless I try it.

HONEY GLAZED PEA PODS AND CARROTS

3/4 c. water
2 c. (4 med.) diagonally sliced 1/4 inch carrots
8 oz. fresh pea pods, washed, remove tips and strings
3 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. honey

In 2 quart saucepan bring water to a full boil. Add carrots, cover; cook over medium heat until carrots are crisply tender (10 to 12 minutes). Add pea pods. Continue cooking until pea pods are crisply tender (1 to 2 minutes). Drain; set aside. In same pan melt butter; stir in cornstarch. Add carrots, pea pods and honey. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (2 to 3 minutes).
2 (6 oz.) pkg. frozen pea pods can be substituted for 8 oz. fresh pea pods. Makes 6 servings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHUCKWAGON CARROTS

Crisp bacon gives smoked flavor to hearty chunks of carrots.

3 cups carrots, sliced 1/2 inch (6 med)
1/4 cup cooked crumbled bacon
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons green onions, sliced 1/8 inch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
In 2-qt saucepan place carrots; add enough water to cover.
Bring to a full boil.
Cook over medium heat until carrots are crisply tender (8-12 minutes).
Drain and return to pan.
Add remaining ingredients.
Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (5 minutes).

Serves 4-6

Nancy

Red Lentil and Carrot Soup
Time: 45 minutes – Serves 4
3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated on a box grater
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth + 1 cup water
1 cup red lentils

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
3. Add broth, 1 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. If it is too thick, add a little more water to thin it down.

YUM!
Emily

However, if it wouldn't have been for the Cookalong, I probably wouldn't have tried them. DH and I are both enjoying the adventures with the Cookalong ingredients. This weekend will be the Apple and Carrot Confetti.

So, what are you making???

Nancy

Thanks Emily for posting your recipe. I've saved it as I love red lentils. The dish I'm making tomorrow is an old favorite that I want to try with carrots included. I've not made the rice or flat bread before, so we'll see how that turns out.

We also had roasted asparagus and a small pork tenderloin with a molasses and mustard glaze and the salad was a perfect complement for it. I'd also like it as a side dish for baked ham. It's definitely going in my "keep" file.

I can't wait to see what the next Cookalong ingredient will be.

We loved it so much that we polished of the whole pan. 2 large sweet potatoes and 5 or 6 carrots. She said that if we ate the whole thing Will would never even know that I made it. LOL I'm stuffed!!

Ruthanna, I though the Apple and Carrot Confetti recipe sounded good too. I'm glad you tried it, I'll make it too.

Joan...OMG, the roasted sweet potatoes and carrots look yummy. I'm glad your DM liked it.

We started our dinner with some Guacamole with Bacon, Scallions and Tomato. Recipe from Perfect Vegetables pub by Cook's Illustrated.

Here's my carrots... Glazed Carrots and Pea Pods

My plate...Coconut Shrimp, Pea Pods and Mashed Potatoes.

Nancy

Yummy!

Here's how DH makes his crusty roasted vegetables (usually he just makes potatoes, but this worked really well with the carrots and onions, too):
Boil 6 cubed potatoes (we use red ones and leave the skin on) until they just start getting starchy on the outside. They will not be cooked all the way through. Drain and put into a bowl. While still hot, coat the potatoes with about a tablespoon or so of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. Season with onion powder, curry powder (we use "Balti" seasoning from Penzey’s Spices), Cavender’s Greek Seasoning and garlic powder. Add a palm full of Italian bread crumbs and about 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped. Fresh rosemary is the best, but you can use dried as well. Stir gently to coat the potatoes. Let stand to blend the flavors. Spread on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 350°F until golden brown. The bread crumb coating forms a crunchy crust that is really delicious. Stir occasionally while baking to brown them evenly. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

All that being said, I did have fun with this ingredient. It was a good choice, Sherry.

I chose to Make Emily's Red Lentil and Carrot Soup, which was fabulous, Emily. Thanks for posting that recipe. I did have to make one change, and I don't know what kind of difference it made, but I had to use a small can of diced tomatoes instead of tomato paste. I thought I had some tomato paste in the freezer, but when I went to dig it out, it was nowhere to be found. I debated on whether ketchup would be a good substitute, but since I don't really like ketchup, I chose to go with the canned diced tomatoes, and just use less liquid. It worked. I'm curious about what it's like with the tomato paste, so I'll make it again with that. It's definitely worth making again. Oh, and you mentioned you double the amount of carrots in the recipe, and I wasn't sure if the recipe you posted was the original recipe or the adapted one with the extra carrots. I guessed it was the original, so I used 4 carrots instead of 2.

To go along with the soup, I decided to do a little of the Iron Chef thing, and see if I could add carrots to cornbread. It seemed odd to me, but fun, too. I thought certainly there's a recipe for just about anything on the internet, and sure enough, there's lots of recipes for carrot-cornbread. Go figure. I chose one that used both shredded carrots and corn kernels. It was way too sweet, but tasted good anyway. It was more like corn-carrot cake. If I make it again, I'll use less sugar and a smaller amount of corn kernels. I used frozen corn, which slowed the cooking time, too. It tasted good, but could have been better.

I also cut some mustard greens from my garden, and just served them plainly cooked with a little white balsamic vinegar. Now how much healthier can it get?

Sally

Sally

It turned out really well and I could hardly tell that it wasn't beef. I doubled the seasonings (except salt) and used just a small tin of Tomate Frito...which would have been less than 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, most which went into the mixture and about 2 TBS of the rest for smearing on the top.

We had it with steamed potato, carrot (lots), cabbage, frozen peas and a creamed spinach that was accidentally defrosted, so I heated that up as well. And again a small salad each as we still had some of those tender greens in the fridge.

Before and after cooking.

Plated and with sunflower seed mixed leaf salad.

SharonCb

Recipe - Lpink's Thai carrot snap pea stir fry

Take the pot of rice out that's been sitting in the fridge all week.
Take out a package of Pete's "Tofu 2 Go" Thai marinated tofu, and the sauce packet.
Take out a package of Bird's Eye Sugar Snap Pea Stir fry frozen vegetables
Have your Kikomann Low Salt soy sauce and McCormick Thai seasoning blend handy.

Heat 2 TBLSP oil in a med. sized wok. Put in the frozen veggies and use a splatter guard. Stir fry until defrosted and heated through. Add the tofu and sauce packet and cook until most of the water evaporates from this mix. Season with soy sauce to taste. Add the rice and season with some of the Thai seasoning mix and more soy sauce. Sir fry until rice starts to brown.

Time from start to finish, under 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Please remember to check this thread tomorrow. In keeping with the 12am posting deadline, I'll draw a name tomorrow morning of the person who gets to pick the next cookalong focus ingredient.

Be thinking about what would be fun....

Nancy

David

Compumom (Ellen)......you get to pick the next Cookalong ingredient!

Give it some thought, but try to post asap. I'll be watching to set up the next thread.

Nancy

I'm sure Ellen will pick a great ingredient for the next cookalong. I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to using part of a carrot.

Jessy, you were right - CF is on EST - it's only 7:30 here!

Lars

I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup! I'm sorry I wasn't more clear with my comment -- the original recipe had just one carrot, and I upped it to two... But I'm glad to hear that four carrots worked! Give it a try with the tomato paste and the two carrots and then let me know which version you like the best!

Meanwhile those honey-roasted carrots look amazing Joan, and they are going on my 'must-try-these-real-soon' list!

Emily

On your mark, get set, GO! ;-)

There's many good carrot recipes on the thread.

Thanks to all that participated. Good job all you cooks!!!

Nancy

By the way, Ruthanna, forgot to say that I'm glad you liked the Apple Carrot Confetti. The Moosewood Cookbooks are very reliable cookbooks.

Sally

Carrot Ginger Soup

3/4 stick butter
1 lg. onion - chopped
1/4 c. fresh ginger - peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. white wine
7 c. chicken or vegie broth
1 1/2 lbs. carrots peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
lemon juice
pinch curry powder
fresh chives - snipped

Saute butter, onion, ginger and garlic together for 15 minutes. Add broth, wine and carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes. puree mixture in blender.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, pinch of curry powder and snipped chives. Can be served hot or chilled.

from the Spirit Valley Cookbook: The Food & History of Blanchard, Idaho.

We enjoyed them so much that I wanted to add them to this thread. I baked them along with a meatloaf and baked potatoes and added the carrots after the other two so they'd all be done at the same time.

BAKED CARROTS

1 lb. carrots, peeled, ends trimmed
1 small bunch green onions
1 Tbs. finely chopped celery leaves
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
3 Tbs. butter

Grate carrots on coarse hole of grater (should be about 4 cups). Trim and slice onions, using a little bit of the green tops (should be about 1/3 cup). Combine all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Mix well. Spoon into baking dish. Dot with butter. Cover and bake at 325 for about 45 min. to an hour, or until carrots are crisply tender.

Carrot Raisin Salad

Package Matchstick cut carrots
Sliced celery to make half as much volume as carrots
Cup coarsely chopped walnuts
white or dark raisins, dried cranberries and/or dried cherries to your taste
Half cup or more of your favorite Waldorf type dressing
Toss ingredients and keep in fridge.
Best made the day before.

Carrot & Celery Salad

Package of matchstick carrots or slice your own carrots
almost equal amount of sliced celery
unsalted dry roasted peanuts to your liking
toss with your favorite Italian salad dressing & keep in fridge.