Minty Carrot Chicken from Claudia Roden.

This dish, from Claudia Roden, from her 1996 "Book of Jewish Food".
Here, the last-minute stirring-in of fresh mint takes a combination of ordinary ingredients to someplace special.
The dish is loaded with more savory turmeric- and ginger-tinged vegetables than with meat.

For fast cooking, boneless and skinless chicken is the way to go; when you have time to let the ingredients cook longer in the pot, use bone-in chicken, and you'll be rewarded with more flavor.
Serve with rice or warm naan.
It's delicious!


Ingredients
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
7 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (1 kg total)
2 large white onions (I prefer red!)
4 carrots (sliced lengthways and cut into 3cm lengths)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric ( I have 1 tablespoons)
4 cm piece of Fresh Ginger grated
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Dried Chilli Flakes
Kosher salt
Water - enough to cover chicken
Leaves from 4 to 6 stems fresh mint

Method
- heat the oil in a in a large saute pan or deep-sided skillet until it is very hot, and just starts smoking
- make sure the chicken is dry; pat it with paper towel if needed, season lightly all over with salt.
- lay the seasoned chicken down in the pan in a single layer.
- You should hear loud sizzeling, if you don’t - the pan is not hot enough.
- remove the chicken and let the pan to get hotter
Don’t flip the chicken for at least 3 minutes.
It needs time for that sear to develop and if you flip the chicken, or even shake it around the pan, you lessen the amount of heat – which at best means you have to wait longer to get a sear, or at worse you’ll never get it at all
After 3 – 4 minutes on high heat, peak at the underside of the chicken.
If it’s golden brown, flip it, and sear the other side with the same technique until the chicken is lightly browned on both sides (It will not be cooked through).
Remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium-high.
Add the onion to the pan and fry until soft.
Add the ginger, garlic and chillies if using, then the turmeric and stir.
Add the chicken to the pan.
Add the carrots and just enough water to cover the chicken.
Cook uncovered for a further 25-30 mins until the liquid has reduced.
If necessary, transfer the chicken and carrots to a warming dish at the end of cooking in order to quickly reduce the remaining liquid in the pan.
The chicken should be cooked through, the carrots should be tender and the liquid in the pan should have reduced a bit.
Add the mint, cook very briefly.
Turn off the heat and serve, preferably with Indian bread or rice.

Christmas carrots.

BBC - Food - Recipes : Christmas carrots
A great way to brush up the humble carrot. Star anise adds a touch of Christmas spice to the sweet buttery glaze.

Ingredients
9 medium carrots, peeled, topped and tailed
250g/9oz butter
150g/5½oz sugar
3 tsp salt
4 star anise
Preparation method
Use a clean scourer to smooth the carrots and remove any peel marks (optional).
In a pan combine 400ml/14fl oz of water, the butter, sugar, salt and star anise.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and add the carrots.
Cook until the carrots are tender (approximately 45 minutes) and the volume of liquid has reduced by half.
Serve the carrots as a side dish with the reduced cooking liquid poured over.

Carrot Apple Ginger Tea Cakes.

Carrot Apple Ginger Tea Cakes from Juicer Pulp using a Breville juicer, stand mixer, and countertop oven | Food Thinkers by Breville
Carrot Apple Ginger Tea Cakes from Juicer Pulp

Pulp — the leftover, fibrous, and very edible byproduct of juicing fruits and vegetables — can be used in all sorts of breads as well as casseroles, sauces, and desserts. In order to produce one or two cups of juice, quite a number of fruits and vegetables are necessary.

“Waste” makes taste
However, there is no need to feel like you are “wasting” all that is left over from juicing when it can be incorporated into cooked dishes and baked goods with ease. In doing so you are not only saving all that pulp from being thrown away, you are also giving yourself a nutritional boost.

Making this sweet and pleasantly spicy carrot-apple-ginger juice will leave you with two to three cups of very usable pulp. Since the ingredients used here are relatively sweet in nature, tea cakes seemed like a good choice for using what was left of the produce after juicing.

Please note that it is not necessary to peel, trim, or core fruits and veggies in order for them to juice properly.
I do so merely to ensure that all the pulp gathered is edible and ready to use.

Carrot Apple Ginger Juice
Makes 2-3 servings.

6 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed
5 crisp apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and quartered
1 small knob of ginger, peeled
Juice all ingredients and pour into glasses for serving.

Tea cake time
Now you are ready and have plenty of pulp to make the tea cakes.

These little cakes have a delicious, spicy, ginger flavor and lots of fiber from the carrot and apple pulp. Adding chocolate mini-chips is a good way to distinguish them as a mid-afternoon treat rather than a breakfast, and makes them perfectly sweet.

This recipe is a simple “muffin method,” which means that all the dry ingredients are mixed together in one bowl, while the wet ingredients (minus the pulp) are mixed in another, before combining everything together and folding in the pulp and chocolate chips. I like to enjoy one or two of these toasted along with a cup of green or black tea to ward off the afternoon slump.

Carrot Apple Ginger Tea Cakes
2 cups carrot/apple/ginger pulp
1½ cups flour (all purpose or whole wheat pastry, or a combination)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups milk or rice/soy milk
¼ cup canola oil (Rapeseed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
mini dark chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F, and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl and stir with a whisk or a fork.
In a smaller bowl, combine oil, milk and vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently combine, being careful not to over mix.
Fold in the pulp and chocolate chips, if using.
Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes, before removing tea cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Spicy Carrot and Ginger Soup With Harissa.

Spicy Carrot and Ginger Soup With Harissa | Serious Eats : Recipes:

Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, finely sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (1.6 cm) knob of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 to 2 tablespoons harissa paste (Harissa is a North African pepper paste).
0.5 kg carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 cups low-sodium homemade or store bought vegetable or chicken broth (Use vegetable broth or carrot juice in place of chicken stock for a 100% vegan version)
Kosher salt
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional - for topping)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon

Procedures
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.
Add leeks, onions, garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Add cumin, coriander, and harissa paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add carrots and stir to coat in spice mixture.
Add broth (see note above), season with a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are completely tender, about 20 minutes.

- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
Add pine nuts, reduce heat to low, and cook, tossing and stirring constantly, until fragrant and nutty brown, about 10 minute.
Transfer to a bowl.
Let cool for a few moments, then stir in parsley, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.

- When carrots are tender, transfer half of soup to a blender.
Start blender on lowest speed and slowly increase speed to high.
With blender running, slowly drizzle in remaining 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
Transfer soup to a clean pot, pressing it through a fine mesh strainer or chinois if desired.
Repeat with remaining soup and 2 more tablespoons olive oil.
When all the soup is puréed, season to taste with salt and whisk in lemon juice.

- Serve soup immediately, topped with pine nut and parsley mixture.

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Giant Veg Rosti.

Giant Veg Rosti:
- http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/giant-veg-r-sti/
Rösti or röschti is a Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes, in the style of a fritter.
This is a particularly good breakfast, brunch or lunch.
I suppose it's not technically a traditional square meal as we often see it, but it's fulfilling, a lovely contrast of textures and flavours, and a total pleasure to eat.
Roasting the spuds and carrots to create the giant rösti really brings out their sweetness, and builds up a nice crunchy edge.

Ingredients
600 g potatoes
3 large carrots
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 a lemon
extra virgin olive oil
olive oil
100 g frozen peas
100 g baby spinach
4 large free-range eggs
50 g feta cheese

Cooking method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Peel the potatoes and carrots, then coarsely grate them in a food processor or by hand on a box grater.
Add a good pinch of salt, toss and scrunch it all together, then leave for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the mustard, a good squeeze of lemon juice, and a couple of lugs of extra virgin olive oil with a little pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl and put aside.

Drizzle a really good lug of olive oil into a large bowl and add a good pinch of pepper.
Handful by handful, squeeze the potato and carrot mixture to get rid of the excess salty liquid, then sprinkle into the bowl.
Toss in the oil and pepper until well mixed, then evenly scatter it over a large oiled baking tray (roughly 30cm x 40cm).
Roast for around 35 minutes, or until golden on top and super-crispy around the edges.

Meanwhile, blanch the peas for a minute in a large pan of boiling salted water, then scoop out, add to the bowl of dressing and pile the spinach on top.
Just before your rösti is ready, with the water gently simmering, crack in the eggs, poach to your liking, then carefully remove with a slotted spoon. Serve the rösti with the eggs on top. Quickly toss the salad together to dress it and scatter in piles on the rösti, then crumble over the feta and serve. I like to whack it in the middle of the table and let everyone dig in.

Jamie's Tip: Poached eggs can be a little tricky to get right, so use the freshest eggs you can get your hands on.
You can tell whether an egg is fresh by cracking it on to a saucer.
If the yolk stands up and the white isn't watery, it's fresh as a daisy.
And don't worry if they look a little messy round the edges, it's all part of it!
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Carrot Jam.

Carrot Jam | cheesecake for all:



0.5 kg fresh carrots
200 g white sugar
3 medium sized mandarin
1 big lemon, juiced

- Wash carrots thoroughly, peel the outer skin and grate them using a food processor for faster performance.
- In big cooking pot, place the grated carrots then pour 2 cup of water till it covers all the carrots completely.
- Place the cooking pot on a medium heat, and let the carrots boil for a while till all the carrots becomes tender and soft.
- When the carrots are done, drain and place them in a blender and set aside.

- Meanwhile, wash the mandarins thoroughly and peel the outer skin.
- Blend the juice of the mandarin with the boiled carrots for one minute or until all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Add sugar and lemon juice to the mixture and blend for another minute or till well mix, set aside.

- Boil the mandarin skins for 5 minutes or till tenderness.
- Drain the skins, then add them to the blended mixture and blend again for another minute.
- Place the carrot mixture in a large cooking pot, cook over low heat.
Stir frequently with wooden spoon for half an hour or till the jam is done.

Testing the carrot jam; take one table spoon of the mixture and place it on flat plate. If the jam didn’t melt and hold its shape then the jam is done.
Place the jam in the prepared jars and let it cool down for an hour or so.

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Chuck Williams, Carrot Soup with Coriander.

Chuck Williams (Born: October 2, 1915 (age 99))-The founder of gourmet chain Williams-Sonoma:

Carrot Soup with Coriander.

To honor the birthday of our founder, Chuck Williams, we are preparing one of Chuck’s classic recipes in our stores today: Carrot Soup with Coriander. The ground coriander and chopped cilantro give this soup its wonderfully bright, fresh taste.

1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 lb carrots (12-14), peeled and cut crosswise into ½ inch thick
1 baking potato, 8-9 oz, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 cups (32 fl oz) chicken stock
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups (16 fl oz) milk, or as needed
freshly ground pepper
2-3 tablespoons dry sherry
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. When hot, add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring, until beginning to change color, 20 – 30 seconds. Add the carrots, potato and ground coriander and sauté, stirring a couple of times, for 2-3 minutes. Add the stock, sugar and salt and raise the heat to medium-low, cover partially and continue simmering until the vegetables are soft when pierced with the tip of a knife, 20 – 25 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade or in a blender, process the vegetables in small batches with their stock until smooth (the soup may be made ahead to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days).

Return the puree to the saucepan and add 2 cups milk and pepper to taste. Place over medium heat and heat almost to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings. If the soup is too thick, add milk as needed to thin. Just before serving, stir in the sherry to taste.

To serve, ladle into warmed soup bowls. Top each bowl with a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkling of cilantro. Serve at once

Serves 6

Source: Merchant of Sonoma

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Christmas carrots.

9 medium carrots, peeled, topped and tailed
250g/9oz butter
150g/5½oz sugar
3 tsp salt
4 star anise
Preparation method
Use a clean scourer to smooth the carrots and remove any peel marks (optional).
In a pan combine 400ml/14fl oz of water, the butter, sugar, salt and star anise. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and add the carrots. Cook until the carrots are tender (approximately 45 minutes) and the volume of liquid has reduced by half.
Serve the carrots as a side dish with the reduced cooking liquid poured over.
From Tom Kerridge.

Orange Cured Carrots.

Orange Cured Carrots
Fill a glass storage container with thinly sliced carrots.
I recommend the use of a mandolin, if you are not particularly fond of slicing.
Use one orange per 400-500g/1 pound of roots to make the marinade.
Choose organic oranges, since you want to use the zest, but tart or sweet variety doesn’t matter, the acidity will have to be balanced to taste anyway.
Grate the zest off first, then press the juice from the halved fruits.
Add double the amount of sunflower oil, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sucanat, a pinch of Korean chili flakes, a little ground black pepper, and a clove of garlic, cut in half but not crushed.
Now add your apple cider vinegar, generously if your brand is full-bodied, a little less if the oranges were tart to begin with; the mix should be fresh and pleasantly sour.
Pour the marinade over the carrots and leave in the fridge overnight.
Try it as a side dish with pork, with roman lettuce and rocket in a green salad, gently heated with lots of blue poppy seeds for your vegetarian buffet – or as I did last week: add their glory to a fish soup.

Sucanat (a contraction of "Sucre de canne naturel") is a brand name for a variety of whole cane sugar that was introduced by Pronatec in 1978.
Unlike refined and processed white cane sugar and brown cane sugar, but similar to panela and muscovado, Sucanat retains its molasses content.