If there is one vegetable out there more maligned than poor cabbage (one of my favorite things to eat), it’s the cooked carrot. Somehow, raw carrots are something even the pickiest kid will eat with a scoop of hummus, but cooked carrots conjure images of the frozen vegetable medley on a particularly bad weeknight in your childhood.
But these aren’t regular carrots, they’re cool carrots. I found them in Marcella Hazan’s glorious cookbook last fall when I was trying to use up a bag of aging carrots. The recipe was super simple and my expectations were already quite low because, carrots, so I was shocked at how much I loved it. I found myself snacking on cold cooked carrots from the fridge. I found myself buying bags of carrots and making this recipe 5 more times.
I frankly am not sure what it is that makes this so good. I think it’s the just-right texture- you don’t want to let them get so soft that they’re mushy, they should have some structural integrity with nice brown caramelization on the outside. They get even sweeter when they’re cooked. And there are also vinegary capers, which in my opinion can make just about anything better. I guess it’s that perfect balance of sweetness and acid that makes this so addictive (have you ever heard anyone call a cooked carrot addictive?)
This is a very simple side dish that even the most un-adventurous cook with a single pan can handle. Even if you own 25 pans and consider yourself an adventurous cook, you should definitely still make it, though. Thank you for listening to my PSA on cooked carrots, and happy snacking.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. young carrots
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons capers, soaked and rinsed if packed in salt, drained if packed in vinegar
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and wash them in cold water. They ought to be no thicker than your little finger. If they are not that size to start with, cut them lengthwise in half, or in quarters if necessary.
- Choose a saute pan that can later accommodate all the carrots loosely. Put in the olive oil and garlic, and turn on the heat to medium high. Cook and stir the garlic until it becomes colored a pale gold, then add the carrots and parsley. Toss the carrots once or twice to coat them well, then add 1/4 cup water. When the water has completely evaporated, add another 1/4 cup. Continue adding water at this pace, whenever it has evaporated, until the carrots are done. They should feel tender, but firm, when prodded with a fork. Test them from time to time. Depending on the youth and freshness of the carrots, it should take about 20 to 30 minutes. When done, there should be no more water left in the pan. If there is still some, boil it away quickly, and let the carrots brown lightly.
- Add the pepper and the capers and toss the carrots once or twice. Cook for another minute or two, then taste and correct for salt, stir once again, transfer to a warm platter and serve at once.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2019/04/24/braised-carrots-with-capers/
