Let me say this straight out—I love carrots. They are easily my favorite veg of all time. Take the worst carrots you can possibly imagine—watery, overcooked, terrible mushy carrots that you are fed in hospital—and I still just love them. In fact, I love them so much I plan on getting a tattoo of one on my arm. Truly.
RECIPES
GRATED CARROT, PRESERVED LEMON, RAISIN & GINGER PICKLE
HEIRLOOM CARROT SALAD, YOGURT, ALMOND & HONEY DRESSING
There is so much more to this humble root than you might think. They are the unsung heroes of the kitchen. They’re so versatile because of their natural sugar content, which means they cross the sweet/savory boundary effortlessly. They are an essential flavor base for broths and sauces and can be used in everything from stews and soups to cakes and preserves. They can be eaten raw, pickled, steamed, boiled, roasted, broiled, mashed, or even baked in salt. No wonder humans have been consuming carrots for thousands of years.
Before they were domesticated, the wild carrot was a tough, bitter root and only used medicinally. Wild carrot can still be found today and, though they are similar in taste and smell to domestic carrots, they are not related. I recommend that you don’t go foraging for the wild kind as they closely resemble hemlock, which is poisonous, and the leaves can cause skin irritation. Best just to leave them alone.
Evidence exists, in the form of ancient cookbooks, that shows carrots were used in Roman cuisine, and it was through the expanding Roman Empire that they found their way onto the plates of Brits and the rest of Europe.
When you think of carrots, your mind immediately pictures vibrant orange. But originally orange wasn’t the dominant color, it was a rarity. Where they were first domesticated, in Afghanistan, about 900 AD, carrots were sometimes white or yellow, but the most common color was purple.
The quintessential orange variety we now see in every supermarket wasn’t widely cultivated until the 1500s in Northern Europe. Legend has it that gardeners from the Netherlands cultivated this color to honor William of Orange. This is a nice story though it’s probably a myth, the color due instead to a naturally occurring mutation.
Steadily, this variety became more widely farmed, pushing out the other varieties to the fringes to become what we would now consider to be “heirloom” varieties.
Now, I know that a lot has been said and written regarding the “mass-produced versus small producer” or “chemical versus organic” vegetable argument, but I really believe the carrot is where you can honestly taste the difference, and it is worth the extra few dollars to buy organic. Try it yourself—buy one carrot from the supermarket and one from a farmers’ market. Cut them in half; keep one half raw and cook the other half in salted boiling water until tender. Now shut your eyes and do a blind taste test of them—both raw and cooked. The difference is astonishing! The flavor that comes from the organic veg is delicate yet robust, so complex and sweet, and you’ll be able to pick it over the dull mass-produced variety easily.
And that was what inspired my heirloom carrot salad, yogurt, almond and honey dressing (see recipe). It was the first dish that I considered to be my signature at Circa. It really represented my food philosophy.
Here are some tips if you want to have a crack at growing carrots yourself. They are a great crop if you don’t have a huge yard as they don’t require a lot of space to produce a good yield. They love a sandy soil, but it has to be clean. Any little pebble or twig will split the carrot—they will just keep pushing down and end up growing around whatever is in their way.
Radishes are the ideal growing companions for carrots as they come up through the soil very rapidly and will break the surface to allow the more fragile carrot shoots to emerge unscathed.
If you accidentally pull up a carrot you’ve grown and find that it’s a little immature, you can use the stalk. Just wash it and use it like you would parsley. It has a really interesting flavor and lovely foliage. Be adventurous and get your hands on some different shapes, sizes and colors—there are so many to choose from.
And here’s one last little tip—you don’t always need to peel carrots. If they are young and delicate, it’s actually better not to. Just under the skin is where the majority of flavor is, so just give them a wash or scrape with a scourer or the back of a knife and enjoy.
I’ve always grown them. I always will grow them, and you should too.
CARROT CAKE
MAKES 2 NICE LOAVES
Now I have to thank my Brydie (she’s like my little sister and has worked with me for five years) for this recipe. I have to, it’s her little pot of gold. It’s a winner and is on the Pope Joan cake display every day. It’s always covered in sweetened cream cheese that has lemon juice added, and comes topped with chopped walnuts and pumpkin seeds. I wasn’t really a fan of carrot cake before trying Brydie’s recipe, but now I’m converted, especially when it’s served with a wedge of brie and my fresh carrot pickle.
4 FREE-RANGE OR ORGANIC EGGS
1¾ CUPS SUPERFINE SUGAR
1¼ CUPS SUNFLOWER OIL
2¼ CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
½ TEASPOON BAKING SODA
½ TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
1 PINCH OF GROUND CINNAMON
3 MEDIUM CARROTS, PEELED AND GRATED
2 CUPS WALNUTS, ROUGHLY CHOPPED
A WEDGE OF BRIE, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, TO SERVE
GRATED CARROT, PRESERVED LEMON, RAISIN AND GINGER PICKLE (SEE RECIPE), TO SERVE
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two loaf tins (measuring 7½ × 3½ × 2½ inches) and line with parchment paper.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the oil and mix in.
Strain the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon together. Mix into the egg mixture, then fold in the carrot and walnuts.
Pour into the loaf tins and bake for 30–45 minutes. To check if they’re ready, use a skewer; it should ease through the mixture and come out without any cake batter on it. When cooked, turn out of the tins and place on a wire rack.
Cool to room temperature and serve with the brie and pickle. The cake is best eaten straight away. You can wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in an airtight container for up to 4 days, but I recommend freezing what you can’t eat and gently warming the defrosted cake in the oven.
GRATED CARROT, PRESERVED LEMON, RAISIN & GINGER PICKLE
FILLS AN 8-CUP CAPACITY JAR
This pickle is great with cold and hot meats, and also amazing with carrot cake and a wedge of brie (see recipe). In fact, it’s great with all cheeses. I recommend making half the quantity if just serving with some brie.
1 CUP APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
1 ⅔ CUPS RICE WINE VINEGAR
⅔ CUP WHITE WINE
3 LARGE CARROTS, PEELED AND GRATED
2⅔ OUNCES PEELED AND GRATED GINGER (SO START WITH SAY 7 OUNCES)
1 CUP RAISINS
1 OUNCE PRESERVED LEMON (PEEL ONLY), THINLY SLICED
4 LARGE SHALLOTS, SLICED
¼ TEASPOON GROUND CORIANDER
1 TABLESPOON SEA SALT
Place all the liquids in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then add the rest of the ingredients. Remove from the heat, cover with parchment paper and allow to infuse until cool. Once cool, transfer to a sterilized 8-cup capacity jar with a lid.
This pickle is best served fresh on the day of making or the next, but it will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 months. As the pickle matures, the flavors will mellow.
HEIRLOOM CARROT SALAD, YOGURT, ALMOND & HONEY DRESSING
SERVES 4 AS AN ENTRÉE OR AS A SALAD TO SHARE
Quite simply a beautiful dish. The almond and honey dressing really lifts the carrots to a new level. Please try it. This looks spectacular plated individually or on a big platter for the center of the table.
20 SMALL HEIRLOOM CARROTS (PURPLE, WHITE AND ORANGE VARIETIES OR JUST USE SMALL DUTCH CARROTS), WASHED AND TRIMMED (BUT NOT PEELED)
¾ CUP ORGANIC PLAIN YOGURT
½ BUNCH FENUGREEK OR PURSLANE, PICKED AND WASHED
8 SMALL NASTURTIUM LEAVES
8 NASTURTIUM FLOWERS (ANY COLOR)
¾ CUP ORGANIC RAW ALMONDS, ROUGHLY CHOPPED
3 TABLESPOONS BUTTER
3 TABLESPOONS HONEY (I USE ORANGE BLOSSOM)
1 TABLESPOON CHARDONNAY VINEGAR
1 TABLESPOON ORANGE-FLOWER WATER
JUICE OF 1 LEMON
1 LONG RED CHILI, SLICED
⅓ CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
SEA SALT
For the almond and honey dressing, place the almonds and butter in a 4-cup capacity saucepan. Place over medium heat and gently warm until the butter starts to foam. Keep it on the heat and when the butter turns a hazelnut color (beurre noisette), add the honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce by one-fifth. Add the vinegar, orange-flower water and lemon juice, bring back to the boil, turn down the heat and cook gently for 3 minutes. Pull off the heat, add the chili, olive oil and a pinch of salt and mix thoroughly. Set aside to cool. This dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months—just gently warm before using.
Place the carrots in a saucepan of cold salted water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes or until tender. Test the carrots with a sharp knife to see if they’re cooked. Drain, then while the carrots are still hot, cut the larger ones in half, place in a bowl and toss in 3 tablespoons of the dressing.
To assemble, place one-quarter of the yogurt on each plate, then assemble the carrots on top. Dress with a little more dressing (making sure to scoop some of the almonds up) and scatter over the herbs and flowers.
Note If purslane, fenugreek and/or nasturtium leaves and flowers aren’t readily available, you could just use Italian parsley, baby basil shoots and some small arugula leaves.
