Photos by Jake Griggs

Carrots

We grow the Napoli (pictured top) and Bolero (pictured bottom) varieties.

Links

Check out Peggy's Cook Out of the Box post, Focus: Carrots, to read up about the history of carrots, nutrition, storage tips, and recipes (including Carrot Cake and Spiced Yogurt and Carrot Salad)!

Cook out of the Box - Tried and True: Vegetable Pancakes

Cook out of the Box - Tried and True: Coleslaw

Recipes:

The following recipe was copied with permission from Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

Carrot Salad (serves 4)

Make the vinaigrette no more than a couple hours before serving. This salad keeps for 2 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

1 scant tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 scant tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 small clove garlic, peeled

Salt

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pepper

1 & 1/4 pounds carrots (before trimming)

1. To make the vinaigrette, pour the vinegars into a small bowl. Crush the garlic clove and add it to the vinegar, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. After 10 minutes or so, whisk in the olive oil and a little freshly milled pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

2. Trim the tops off of the carrots and peel them. Finely shred the carrots using a grater or food processor.

3. Then pour the vinaigrette over the shredded carrots. Mix thoroughly. The salad should sit about 2 hours or more if possible for the flavors to blend.

Beet and Carrot Sandwich

Butter slices of good quality rye bread.  Grate raw peeled beets and carrots and put a little pile of each on each slice of bread - beet on one side and carrot on the other.  If you have good quality eggs, serve with a raw egg yolk on top of each slice along with a few lemon wedges.  Or top with a poached egg.  Or a dollop of good mayonnaise or creme fraiche.  Fresh dill would be excellent with this dish.

Credit: Cook out the Box 2011 - Winter Box #8

Glazed Carrots with Mint

You could use parsley, dill, or chives, too.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Elizabeth Davids' classic Summer Cooking.

I highly recommend you get your hands on a mint plant or two and find a place in a pot or your yard for them.  A small amount of mint, strategically used, can really improve a dish. I will be recommending it often as we go along this summer, I am sure.  Watch out if you plant it in your yard - it can be invasive.

Scrub a pound of carrots (your Featherstone young spring carrots do not need peeling), cut into pieces and cook in a small amount of boiling salted water about 6 minutes (depends on size of pieces - they should still be a bit firm)  Strain (save cooking water for stock) and put into a heavy pan with 2 T. butter.  Simmer gently for a few minutes and then add about 1 T sugar and simmer some more until liquid is reduced and carrots are glazed.  Season with salt and fresh ground pepper and stir in a tablespoon of chopped fresh mint.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Week 2

Morrocan Carrot Salad

Cut 4 large carrots into matchsticks (large julienne) and boil until they are almost tender.  They should still be a bit crisp in the center.  Drain.

Marinade:  

1/2 t. ground cumin, 1/2 t. ground cinnamon, dash of cayenne pepper, 2 T. fresh orange juice, 2 t. honey, 2 T. olive oil, salt to taste.

Pour the marinade over the warm carrots.  Marinate at least a few hours before serving.  Can be refrigerated several days.

Serve with a garnish of chopped fresh parsley and or mint.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Week 2

Turnip and Carrot Gratin

Peel and shred 3/4 pounds each of turnip and carrot. Mix with 3 T. chopped fresh parsley and 1/2 cup sliced scallion greens. Place in a shallow buttered dish.

Make a white sauce with 2 T. butter, 2 T. flour and 2 cups warm milk. Enrich with one beaten egg if desired.  (Remember to add a bit of warm sauce to the egg before adding it to the sauce, to avoid curdling.)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour sauce over vegetables.

Sprinkle the top with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and dot with butter.  Bake at 375 degrees about 45 minutes - or until it is bubbling hot and lightly browned.

Credit: Cook out the Box 2011 - Winter Box #8

Carrot Apple Salad

Grate or shred carrots, by hand or in a food processor. Add grated apple to carrots, along with a handful of raisins and some chopped peanuts. Dress with a little orange or lemon juice and honey. Add some plain yogurt if desired.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Winter Box #7

North African Carrot Salad

Add this dressing to shredded carrots: mix equal parts olive oil and lemon juice - about 3 T each. Add 1 clove minced fresh garlic, 1 t. sugar, 1/2 t. cumin seed, crushed, 1/2 t. crushed dried mint leave, salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add some crushed dried red pepper flakes. 

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Winter Box #7

Vietnamese Rolls

Moisten rice paper rounds according to package directions. Fill with shredded carrots (radish too if you have some),  bean sprouts, chopped tofu, peanuts, cilantro and mint. Roll up and serve with your favorite peanut-chile dipping sauce.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Winter Box #7

Root Veggie Hash

Cut carrots, parsnips and potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.  Heat heavy frying pan, add olive oil.  When oil is hot, add cubed vegetables. Cook until browned on one side and then turn. Add chopped onion or shallots when vegetables are almost tender. Serve when vegetables are browned and tender. Add fresh chopped parsley if you have some.  Good served with a fried egg on top. Variation: Add a little ground pork or sausage to the vegetables when they are cooking. 

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Winter Box #7

Beet Carrot Salad

I took the raw beets and the fat carrot and I peeled them. Then I grated them, using the grating attachment of my modest food processor. You could use a mandoline, an old fashioned box grater (largest holes) or even your hands and a sharp knife -  slicing into matchsticks. The idea is to reduce these hard veggies into small toothsome pieces. I also added some red onion - about 2 tablespoons grated). Then the dressing - simple oil and vinegar.  This time I used about 2 T. canola oil and 4 T. raspberry vinegar. Red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar would be nice too. If you have no vinegar you could squeeze the juice from an orange. Then about a teaspoon of sugar and some salt and pepper to taste and voila you have it. A crunchy, tangy, tasty, healthy salad.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Living without Lettuce 

Carrot Apple Salad

Grate about one pound of peeled carrots (this is where a food processor comes in mighty handy).  Add one firm, tart apple, grated or chopped.  I added 1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds and 1/4 cup chopped dates.  But you could use pecans or walnuts or raisins - whatever you like and have on hand.  You could even use pineapple instead of apple.

Dressing: Whisk together: 2-3 T. oil. 1 T. vinegar (I used sherry wine vinegar which is a lovely vinegar for salads), a dash of salt and pepper, 2 t. maple syrup or honey and the juice of one medium orange.

Toss dressing and other ingredients together.  This makes six generous servings.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Too Many Carrots

Cold Carrot Ginger Orange Soup

Peel, chop and boil about 3/4 pound carrots in a small amount of water until very soft and tender.   Cool.  Finely grate one t. fresh ginger.  Puree carrots, 1/2 cup cooking water, one cup fresh orange juice, the grated ginger and 2 t. sugar or honey.  Add some plain yogurt or buttermilk if desired. (Note - if you still have a few beets lying around you could cook and peel them and puree them along with the carrot.  If you are feeling very ambitious - make both beet and carrot puree and pour separately into two sides of each bowl.  Big color wallop!

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 6

Namasu (marinated daikon and carrots) (serves 4)

This is from a nice book I have had for years - Japanese Home Style Cooking, published by Better Home Japan. 

3/4 pound daikon, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks (julienne)

1 small carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks (julienne)

Sprinkle vegetables evenly with a pinch of salt and let stand in a colander or strainer for 10-15 minutes.  Squeeze to remove water.

Mix: 3 T. rice vinegar, 1 T. dashi*, 1 T mirin* and 2 t. sugar.  Add a pinch of salt.  Add vegetables and marinate a day for best flavor.

Dashi - this is a fish stock made with dried bonito flakes.  The flakes can be found in asian markets, co-ops or some large markets.  Follow directions on the package.

Mirin - this can be found in many types of food stores these days.  It is a liquid seasoning made from

sweet glutinous rice.  Its sugar and alcohol content give it a distinctive flavor and a sweetness that sugar alone cannot produce.

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Focus: Radishes

Curried Potatoes, Carrots, and Squash

Peel and cut carrots, potatoes and squash into medium chunks - about 8 cups vegetables in total.  Also chop about 1 cup onion and mince 3-4 cloves garlic.    Saute vegetables, including onions and garlic, in 2-4 T. oil along with our favorite curry seasoning (curry powder, canned curry paste or mixture of spices such as mustard seed, cumin, fresh ginger and turmeric.) and about 1 t. salt for about 5 minutes.  Add water, coconut milk or a mixture.  Add more or less depending on how much sauce you want.  Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.  Sometimes I add about a cup of red lentils along with the vegetables for extra protein.  They cook fast - right along with the vegetables.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 19

Roasted Carrots and Turnips

Peel vegetables and cut into similar sized pieces - about 1 inch in size.  Plan on about 1 cup vegetables per  person.  Place raw vegetables in a bowl with about 2 T oil for 4 cups vegetables.  Salt and pepper to taste.  If desired, add 1 T of honey or maple syrup to the oil for a little extra sweetness.  Roast on a baking sheet or other baking pan in one layer at 400 degrees about 30 minutes or until lightly browned and vegetables are tender.  Check after 20 minutes and move the vegetables around on the sheet for more even browning. 

Prepare relatively equal amounts of cooked diced potatoes, carrots and beets. Add some diced fresh onion, lightly cooked peas and a little sweet pickle. Mix with good mayonnaise - preferably homemade. Add a little fresh or dried dill to the mayonnaise if desired.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 20

Russian Salad (with a nod to Vietnamese noodle salad) (4 servings)

Ingredients 

Soba (Buckwheat) noodles - cooked and drained - about 3 ounces per serving

(You could also substitute cooked buckwheat groats)

Thinly sliced red cabbage - about 1 cup per serving

Grated or julienned winter radish - about 1/3 cup per serving

Grated raw carrot - about 1/3 cup per serving

A few sliced cooked beets (pickled would be nice)

Dressing

1/2 c. sunflower oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 T. sugar or honey

season to taste: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, dill weed, maybe a little grated horseradish root or prepared whole grain mustard

Protein - sliced roast pork or beef or marinated or sauteed tofu or a few canned sardines or salmon or a few slices of cooked sausage such as summer sausage or polish sausage.

Assembly - for each individual serving:

place soba noodles (room temp or a little warm) in a large bowl.  Arrange on top the sliced and grated vegetables in an attractive fashion.  Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche and a spoonful of toasted sunflower seeds.  Serve dressing on the side.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Winter Box #5 

Last updated on March 16, 2012 by Featherstone Farm