Carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, celery and chicory - the "c" veggies are, truth be told, the Blist veggies. Unlike funky, hip vegetables, such as aubergine, sweet peppers, fennel, and even spuds, the B-list group doesn't inspire us much. We boil them and steam them, and that's about it.
Trawl through the cookery books on your shelves and the situation is similar: the food-writers are little more creative. Carrot salad. Cauliflower cheese. Stuffed cabbage. Braised chicory. Raw celery with cream cheese. Chefs are the same, and when carrots appear in restaurants, no one seems bothered to do much more than steam them and serve them on a side plate, with only the occasional puree making an appearance.
So, let's look at just what we can do with these bit-players of the vegetable world.
Carrot and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
MY six-year-old daughter adores this combination of beautifully sweet flavours which marry superbly - the fine, rich sweetness of the roasted pepper, the more subtle sweetness of the carrot.
4 medium carrots 3 red peppers 2 cloves garlic 2 medium onions 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 litre light chicken stock Sea salt
Slice the peppers in half, deseed and place in a casserole dish. Brush the skins with olive oil and roast in a 180C oven for about half an hour, until the skins start to blacken and the peppers soften. Carefully remove the skin of the peppers, making sure to keep all the liquid that sits around them and in the bottom of the casserole. While the peppers are roasting, grate the carrots and onion in a food processor. Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan, and then add the carrot/onion mixture with the whole cloves of garlic. Sweat for about 10 minutes in the olive oil, being careful not to burn the garlic. Empty the contents of the casserole in which you cooked the peppers into the saucepan, making sure to collect every bit of juice. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the carrot softens. Blend the soup again, using a buzz gun, a blender or a food processor. Season and serve.
Carrots and Lentils
I'M not sure if this is properly a carrot dish or a lentil dish, but the flavours work beautifully and I like the proportions as they are: if you want fewer lentils, just cut the volume down to 50 grams.
The lentils I use are Italian greeny-brown lentils, lenticchie laird by Riso Carena, imported by Corte dei Crescenzi of Dublin, but Puy lentils will work just as well. If you use a vegetable stock, this is a superb vegetarian dish.
300g carrots, peeled and chopped into halfinch dice 100g green lentils 2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half 750 ml chicken stock Pinch red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon olive oil Knob of butter
Heat the olive oil and butter in a casserole, then toss in the chopped onions and carrots and saute for about two minutes until the onion becomes slightly translucent and the carrots have picked up a glaze from the oil and butter.
Then add the pinch of red pepper flakes, the sliced garlic and the lentils. Stir all together for a minute until the lentils have been coated in the butter and oil, then add 500 mls of the hot chicken stock, reserving the remainder in case the dish should require more later on.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover the pan, and do not season at this stage. Cook for 40-45 minutes - the time depends on the age of the lentils - they might even be ready after half an hour. Check the pan occasionally to ensure you have enough liquid. When ready, the liquid should be almost completely absorbed, the lentils and carrots both tender. Season at this stage with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and if you like you can stir in some finely chopped parsley or coriander leaves. This is rather good with grilled lamb chops.
Carrot Sauce
THIS is one of my all-time favourite sauces. For some reason, it has rather fallen out of fashion from the days when older cookery books would treat carrot sauce as a standard preparation, a part of the culinary armoury as well established as mayonnaise or hollandaise.
Carrot sauce is particularly good with roasted meats. As with a good bread sauce, it is sheer heaven when you dunk a crispy roast potato into it.
500 grams carrots, peeled and cut into pieces 75 grams butter, 50 grams reserved 1 tablespoon sugar good pinch of sea salt 150 mls double cream
Place the carrots in a saucepan with 25 grams of the butter, the sugar and a good pinch of sea salt and pour on enough water to barely cover them.
Bring the water to a boil, then turn down the heat, partially cover the pan, and simmer the carrots for approximately 45 minutes until very tender, with the water well reduced.
If you want to make the sauce very rich, what you do now is to take off the lid and turn the heat up, then cook the carrots until the water reduces to a buttery glaze on the vegetables. However, I like to make the sauce a little looser, and don't reduce it so intensely, keeping some of the cooking liquid to puree with the carrots. This also cuts down on the amount of butter and cream you will need to use.
Remove the carrots to a food processor, and process until very smooth, with a consistency close to a pouring consistency. Return the contents to the pan, and over a medium heat, whisk in as much of the cream as you need to get the consistency you want. Turn off the heat, and whisk in as much of the butter, cut into small pieces, as you need to get a silky, shiny, glossy sauce. Serve straight away.