Does anyone know a drug rehab program for those addicted to a root vegetable, because I am currently obsessed with carrots. No really, well and truly obsessed.
I have a garden bursting full of carrots and we can’t stop eating them. That perfectly delightful root vegetable that even my dogs will obey commands for.
I need to ask you though…have you ever really eaten a proper carrot? Fresh from the earth, pulled from cold winter soil. If you have then you know why I am obsessed. There is absolutely nothing like the sweetness of a winter carrot, that perfect crunch, and the bright colors that make any plate look like a painting.
Most times I don’t even bother to wash them off. I just wipe them on my pants and crunch while working in the garden (the benefits of 100% organic farming, not a thing to worry about, just farm fresh goodness straight from the soil).
Vegetable Obsession
This happens to me every season. I find myself with a particular vegetable obsession. Partly because there is nothing better than the taste of a vegetable that is in season, and partly because when the garden gives it has a tendency to overwhelm. Let me tell you, by the end of fall Jason and I are entirely done with eating eggplants. NO MORE EGGPLANTS! Until of course next summer, then we cannot wait again for the fruit to ripen.
I am a firm believer that we must eat what is in season. Here in Gauteng we are blessed with a climate that produces summer veggies well into fall and an abundant winter garden, so there is never really down time. There is always something coming out of the garden fresh and in season.
However, when you eat seasonally it means that you will often be eating the same vegetable over and over, day after day. You learn to be creative. Look up a million recipes and find yourself adding it as an ingredient in ways you never could have imagined. You understand the motivation for zucchini bread, carrot cake, and why the French have Ratatouille, the Italians have Scarpaccia, and the Mexicans have Calabacitas. In all cases they had a garden bursting with too much of a particular vegetable, and so their kitchens had to develop the recipes to celebrate the beauty of that season’s bounty.
I am currently celebrating carrots.
So what to do with all those carrots…
So here are two completely different ways to use your carrots…one roasted with brown sugar and spices. The perfectly caramelized and slightly burnt edges will have you getting up for seconds and thirds. A year’s worth of vitamin A in one day.
The second recipe is for my carrot cake. It is indulgent, it is ridiculous, it involves amasi caramel being poured between layers. It is nonsense really. I make them as mini cakes cut out of a sheet pan, so you don’t have to feel so guilty. It is “just a small” pretty little slice. So give these recipes a try and tell me what you think.
