Summary
| Yield | |
|---|---|
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
Description
I really do feel the humble carrot is undervalued. They can be used in so many warming ways in winter, and in summer they are also as versatile as ever, appearing in an endless number of forms. Carrots are easy to store and require little to no advanced preparation. They can be roasted, steamed, sautéed, grated, and tossed into salads.
Or as I have recently found out, they also look really good in my 7 month old son’s hair as a smooth puree or on the floor after he’s had enough! The carrot also makes up 25% of the classic French cooking trio known as mirepoix, the basic trinity of flavoring agents for many of the classic soups, stocks and sauces that are used daily by chefs. Surprisingly, there are as many as 20 known varieties of carrots and using them together in a single dish can provide stark contrast in flavors and colors.
Here is a favorite warm carrot salad recipe of mine that works well in winter or cool spring days. Serve room temperature to just warmed.
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots w/ tops, assorted (thumbelina, baby yellow, baby orange, and baby red)
- 1 zest from one lemon
- olive oil, to taste
- 1⁄4 c pomegranate molasses
- 1 c toasted walnuts
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
Remove the tops of the carrots and reserve. Wash the carrots and peel all but the red variety (when the red carrots are peeled they lose color and appear more orange). Cut the carrots into halves and blanch in boiling salted water until crisp tender. Drain and shock in an ice bath until completely cool. Wash and drain the carrot tops, removing the leaves and discarding the stems.
Combine about 1 cup of carrot leaves with the lemon zest and a scant portion of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat and add one tablespoon of oil. Add the carrots and sauté until just heated through. Add the pomegranate molasses and reduce until thick and syrupy, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and toss together with the toasted walnuts, top with the carrot top salad and enjoy.
Notes
Photo: CLC Photography