Carrot Recipes
Source: BBC Good Food
Thursday 4th April marks International Carrot Day. Let's celebrate this humble vegetable with some inspiring and tasty recipes for you to try.
Did you know? Carrots are the second most popular vegetable in the world, after potatoes. The average person will consume 10,866 carrots in their lifetime.
Glazed Carrot, Mushroom & Hazelnut Tart
INGREDIENTS
3 carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthways, or about 10 baby carrots left whole
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
15 x 12cm rectangle of all-butter puff pastry from a 320g roll
1 banana shallot or 2 normal shallots, very finely diced
small knob of butter
140g chestnut mushroom, very finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped roasted hazelnut, plus a little extra to garnish
3 tbsp low-fat cream cheese
a few tarragon leaves, chopped, plus a few leaves to garnish
METHOD
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Pop the carrots in a pan of boiling water and cook for 4-5 mins until tender. Spread the carrots out in one layer on a baking tray. Carefully toss with olive oil, seasoning and half the maple syrup. Bake for 20 mins, turning once.
Next, place the pastry rectangle on a baking parchment-lined baking sheet. Score a 1cm border. Prick the centre area with a fork and put in the oven for 12 mins with the carrots.
Fry the shallot in butter until totally soft, then stir through the mushrooms. Fry for several mins until mushrooms are tender and the mixture is dry. Spread out on a plate to cool. Whizz a third of the mushroom mixture with the nuts, cream cheese, tarragon and seasoning, so you have a coarse texture. Tip into a bowl and stir through the remaining mushroom mix.
Remove the pastry base from the oven and gently press down the centre area with the back of a spoon. Spread the mushroom mix inside and lay the glazed carrots on top. You may need to tuck the ends round to fit the carrots in. Drizzle over the remaining maple syrup and bake for a further 12-15 mins until the pastry is golden. Sprinkle with a few tarragon leaves and some more chopped nuts to serve.
Minty Carrot, Pistachio & Feta Salad
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling
500g carrot, halved and cut into chunks
400g can chickpea, drained and rinsed
2 tsp ground cumin
juice ½ lemon
1 tbsp clear honey
small bunch mint, chopped
2 big handfuls spinach
100g bag shelled pistachio, roughly chopped
200g pack feta cheese, crumbled
METHOD
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip 1 tbsp of the oil, the carrots, chickpeas and cumin onto a baking tray, season and toss to coat. Roast for 30 mins or until the carrots are tender.
Mix together the lemon juice, honey and remaining oil, then pour all over the roasted carrots and chickpeas. Leave to cool. You can chill the salad at this stage, for up to 1 day; just bring it out of the fridge 1 hr before serving.
Mix through the mint, spinach leaves and pistachios, and check the seasoning. Scatter the feta over and drizzle with a little extra oil.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
175g light muscovado sugar
100g wholemeal self-raising flour
100g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp mixed spice
1 orange, zested
2 eggs
150ml sunflower oil
200g carrots, grated
orange coloured sprinkles, to decorate
100g butter, softened
300g soft cheese
100g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
METHOD
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, flours, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and orange zest. Whisk together the eggs and oil, then stir into the dry ingredients with the grated carrot. Divide the mixture between cases and bake for 20-22 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before icing.
For the icing, beat the butter until really soft, then beat in the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla. Use a palette or cutlery knife to swirl the icing on top of the cakes, then decorate with the sprinkles.