Carrot Cooking Comments

[vivandorron]

My wife and I are 'wayward welsh'.

Consequently, we do not have the traditional hot roast 'dinner' at mid-day on a Sunday; but have a 'slap-up' meal, at home, every Saturday evening....'Slap-up' yes, because I am the cook who continually makes mistakes which appear to go unoticed by all around the dinner table.

For instance, whilst cooking this evening, I reached for the jar of marmalade to add a few spoonfuls to simmering carrots, but picked-out the wrong jar and put Rhubarb and Ginger Preserve into the saucepan. The result was great; especially as the carrots were the packeted frozen items.

Has anyone any carrot cooking comments, or memorable mistake making marvels?.

Replies to reckless Ron, please.

[beerbelly]

Chef's tip .................
Never serve cheese sauce on the same menu as custard !

One night ,whilst clearing down the kitchen , a latecomer was given apple crumble with cheese sauce . He ate it out of politeness ...................

[peppy]

Just to say 2 things vivandorron, great alliteration there, and also, why do you put marmalade in cooking carrots, surely they're sweet enough ??

Or is your question as tongue-in-cheek as it sounds ?

[BBWCHATT]

Hi Ron & Viv - I don't have any carrot mistakes that I will admit to of course - but my favorite is to slice them very thinly and put them in beef & vegetable soup.

This is a recipe I have been meaning to try from my favorite TV chef - Paula Deen. She is another fat old Southern lady - from Savannah, Georgia. I will let you be the guinea pig and tell me how it tastes :)

Copper Pennies

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can tomato soup
2 pounds carrots, peeled, cooked, and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

Combine the sugar, vinegar, oil, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the soup. Mix the carrots, onion, and bell pepper together in a large glass dish; pour the sauce over the vegetables, stir gently to combine, and refrigerate overnight. This salad will keep for up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.

[vivandorron]

beerbelly......Are you sure your guest was merely being polite. Perhaps he enjoyed, shall we call it, Cheddar Apple Tart'. I doubt if anyone would dispute that cheese and apple go well together. I know for a fact that people in Yorkshire will serve apple tart with a few slices of cheese as a topping in place of cream. Even more interesting, and I quote word for word from 'Kettners Book of the Table' (first published 1877)

" It is difficult to believe in the taste of a province which eats mustard with apple pie; still the culinary reputation of the shire is a fact. The Yorkshire ham is rivalled by the Cheshire cheese in renown. All over Europe the Shesterre is known as well as the Jambon d,Yorck."

peppy.....Nowadays, not all carrots are as sweet as they should be and I think it may have been the TV cook Delia Smith who suggested putting a few spoonfuls of Honey in the water when boiling carrots. The marmalade idea was mine and guests seem to enjoy the sweet and sour effect. On the otherhand, perhaps guests are being polite.

BBWCHAT.....Another recipe from you which sounds interesting. Hope to try it . However, must admit that I haven't yet made the Jambayala for which you gave me a Slow Cooker recipe. Now a bit of trivia for you, and I quote again from 'Kettners Book of the Table' " Carrots were introduced into England by Flemish gardeners in the time of Elizabeth; and in the reign of James I.they were so uncommon that ladies wore branches of them on their hats and on their sleeves instead of feathers. They are now, next to the onion, the most important vegetable in all soups and sauces."


Best wishes to you all...................Ron.

[BBWCHATT]

Very interesting Ron - had no idea!!! Please don't make Viv wear the carrot fronds for decoration :)

Looks like you are a little behind on your cooking -so I still have time to add another recipe for you to peruse :)

Carrots in Curry Sauce

1 (16 ounce) package baby carrots
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fat free milk
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place carrots in a steamer basket over 1 in. of boiling water in a saucepan. Cover and steam for 12-14 minutes or until crisp-tender. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan; cook and stir over medium-low heat until heated through (do not boil). Drain carrots; add sauce and toss to coat.

Metric:
448 g baby carrots
65 g reduced-fat mayonnaise
30 ml fat-free sour cream
5 ml lemon juice
5 ml fat free milk
5 ml honey
1 g curry powder
2 g salt

[heathfield]

When simply boiling carrots, don't add salt to the water, add a large pinch of sugar instead. This helps bring out an actual carrot flavour in the near-tasteless varieties we're offered in supermarkets these days.

[vivandorron]

thanks heathfield. I agree

[vivandorron]

Scolled down quickly and passed over your recipe. Another interesting one, Thanks BBWCHATT.

[quizard]

Not one for the health conscious but cut the carrots into rounds and sprinkle with salt and sugar and cover. This will draw out the moisture from the carrots (and yes it is orange) add to this a knob of butter and steam them in their own juices. Absolutely delicious!!!

[vivandorron]

Thanks quizard......I will try your method which, because of the addition of butter, must taste better than ordinary boiled carrots.

Occasionally, I grate a few carrots and saute them in butter. They also taste good. Healthy food I would say....we all need a certain amount of salt, sugar and fat. Furthermore, we want to enjoy our food. Sensible amounts is the answer.

Bon appetit.......Ron.

[vivandorron]

quizard........I hope that you, perhaps with others, are still threaded into this item.

Following on from my earlier comments, I thought that, as it would be only myself and Viv at the dinner table this evening, the time was appropriate to try-out your recipe.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any fresh carrots; but there was a packet of frozen baby carrots in the freezer. So, although the carrots were far too small for cutting into round pieces, I still continued according to your advice, and simmered them whilst making gravy. ( Packet variety on this occasion; made with milk instead of water; dash of vinegar and a sprinkling of pepper; it's creamy and really tasty.) Served simply with oven cooked turkey breast, peas and roasted potatoes.

Take a deep breath, because other folk could be reading this. All I can say.........you're on to a winner. The flavour of the carrots were enhanced and they'll be on the menu, regularly, for guests at the dinner table in my house. ( Must confess; dinner this evening, without guests, was a very normal affair: a plated meal on laps in front of Telee. and washed down with red plonk.)

It's now time to re-fill the glasses and drink a toast to you...........V & R.

[quizard]

Ron,

Glad you enjoyed the carrots, but you must try it with fresh (shoots on) carrots for the best results.

[vivandorron]

For anyone who is still threaded into this item; I report as follows:-

Straightforward meal this evening. Roast chicken, Roast pots, Peas, Carrots and Gravy.

Glad we didn't have any guests ( just Viv and me ) because the carrots were tender but tasteless.

It must be my age. Forgot to add some sugar or marmalade; which certainly makes a difference to Donkey Danglers.!

Ron.... (Stupid Ass.! )