Carrots From Brownievillegirl

When this recipe popped up on my reading list I got very excited. When I went over to Brownievillegirl’s Blog I saw she too had been very excited. I’m not quite sure if it’s a carrot thing or an Irish thing. Like her I have long looked for a nice way to cook carrots. I do love a carrot. Such a bright cheerful little vegetable. Just made to cheer up a plate. This comes from Heston Blumenthalls ‘Family Food’. Apparently (and I quote BVG here) “Orange juice shouldn’t be used when cooking carrots as the acid interferes with the cooking process.Orange zest gives the flavour while retaining the correct texture. ” Whatever the reason these carrots mixed with garlic, coriander and cumin are just gorgeous. I could have eaten them all straight from the pot. Simple done you really need to try them. Thank you Brownievillegirl for the recipe.

Carrots Glazed with Cumin and Orange

750g peeled carrots (I think organic are worth the extra money)
1 clove garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 or 3 cardamom pods
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp caster sugar
zest from 1 orange, in large pieces (remove carefully with a potato peeler, with as little of the white pith as possible)
salt and black pepper

Slice the carrots into 1cm (1/2 inch) rounds – they look better sliced diagonally.
Heat your pot without any oil and when hot add the cumin and cardamom seeds (which you have removed from the pods), toast them for a minute or two until they release a beautiful smell.
Add the oil, butter, garlic (I grate it in, you could crush it), thyme and the carrots.
Turn the heat down to medium and sweat the carrots for 5 minutes.
Add the sugar and about 1 tbsp of water and the orange zest.
Cover with a lid and cook until tender – keep an eye on them and add a little more water if necessary.
When cooked remove the lid and reduce any liquid if necessary.
Season and serve.