|
After potatoes, carrots are without doubt
our best-known and best-loved root vegetable. In the days when
vegetables were served merely as an accessory to meat, carrots always
made an appearance - often overcooked but still eaten up because, we
were told, they helped you to see in the dark.
Carrots have many different flavors,
depending on how they are cooked. Young, new season carrots braised in
butter and a splash of water are intensely flavored and sweet; when
steamed, they are tender and melting. Carrots grated into salads are
fresh and clean tasting, while in casseroles they are savory with the
characteristic carrot flavor. In soups they are fragrant and milk, and
in cakes their flavor can hardly be detected, yet their sweetness adds
richness.
History : Until the Middle Ages,
carrots were purple. The orange carrots came from Holland, from where
they were exported in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Although
purple and white carrots continued to be eaten in France, nowadays they
are something of a rarity.
Nutrition : Carrots contain large
amounts of carotene and vitamin A, along with useful amounts of vitamins
B3, C and E. When eaten raw, they also provide good quantities of
potassium, calcium, iron and zinc, but these are reduced when carrots
are boiled. The idea that carrots are good for your night sight
originated in the Second World War. Early radar stations were
established along the south and east coasts of England in 1939 to detect
aggressors in the air or at sea. The Germans attributed this sudden
remarkable night vision to the British habit of eating carrots. Indeed,
the vitamin A in carrots forms retinal, a lack of which brings on night
blindness.
Buying and Storing : Home-grown
carrots are so much nicer than shop bought ones. Almost all vegetables
have a better flavor if grown organically, but this is particularly true
of carrots. When buying carrots, look out for very young, pencil thin
ones, which are beautifully tender either eaten raw or steamed for just
a few minutes. Young carrots are commonly sold with their feathery tops
intact, which should be fresh and green. Older carrots should be firm
and unblemished. Avoid tired looking carrots as they will have little
nutritional value. Carrots should not be stored for too long. They will
keep for several days if stored in a cool, airy place or in the salad
drawer of the fridge.
Preparing : Preparation depends on
the age of the carrots. The valuable nutrients lie either in or just
beneath the skin, so if the carrots are young, simply wash them under
cold running water. Medium-size carrots may need to be scraped and large
carrots will need either scraping or peeling.
Cooking : Carrots are excellent
cooked or raw. Children often like raw carrots as they have a very sweet
flavor. They can be cut into julienne strips, with a dressing added, or
grated into salads and coleslaw - their juices run and blend wonderfully
with the dressing. Carrots can be cooked in almost any way you choose.
As an accompaniment, cut them into julienne strips and braise in butter
and cider, or cook in the minimum of stock and toss in butter and a
sprinkling of caraway seeds. Roasted carrots are delicious, with a
melt-in-the-mouth sweetness. Par-boil large ones first, but younger
carrots can be quickly blanched or added direct to the pan with a joint
of meat.
|
