Carrots
Carrots will last longer if they are stored dry and they are refrigerated. Wipe off any
excess water and store in the refrigerator either in the vegetable crisper or in a plastic
container with a fitted cover.
To prepare carrots for cooking:
Cut off both ends of the carrots. Carrots can be scrubbed clean or peeled. Scrubbing
them clean without peeling is healthier as the skin has lots of nutrients. Use a sharp
knife to cut the carrots into slices or chunks. Try to keep the carrot pieces about the
same size so they will be cooked at the same time.
A serving of carrots is ½ a cup of carrot pieces.
Simple recipes for carrots:
Boiling carrots:
Put the carrot pieces in a pan with about an inch of water. Add about ½ teaspoon of
salt. Cover the pan; put the pan on the stove and turn the heat on the burner to high.
Heat until the water starts to boil (you will see steam coming out of the pan). Reduce
the heat to medium (3 to 4 if there are numbers on the dial) and boil until they are as
soft as you would like them. The amount of cooking time depends on the amount of
carrots in the pan. They should be done in 5 to almost 15 minutes (longer time if you
are cooking a lot of carrots). Drain the water from the carrots when they are cooked.
You can put butter, margarine or olive oil on them before servings.
Roasting carrots:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the carrots into chunks, about 1 inch in size. Use 1
tablespoon of olive oil per cup of carrots; toss them in olive oil, put in a roasting pan.
Add some salt and cook at 425°F for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how much you are
roasting.
Carrots cooked in olive oil:
Cut the carrots into pieces about 2 inches long. Cut each piece into thin pieces
(matchstick size). For each cup of carrots pieces, put 1 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan.
Put the pan on the stove and heat on medium-low (2 to 3 if there are numbers on the
dial) until the oil is warm. Stir in the carrots; season with salt. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or
until slightly soft. You can add some fresh basil or flat parsley ripped into very small
pieces a minute or so before the carrots are finished cooking.