Considered one of our all-time favourite veggies, carrots take us in so many instructions—and these carrot recipes present it. You possibly can roast carrots till their edges get caramelized, coaxing out the vegetable’s pure sweetness. You possibly can pickle recent carrots for a crunchy companion to char-grilled meat. You possibly can purée them to make carrot-ginger soup, a basic vegetarian consolation meals. And naturally, you may shred and fold them into carrot cake batter.
Within the grocery retailer, we suggest avoiding two forms of carrots: first, these uniform little cylinders in a bag labeled “child carrots.” They’re simply whittled down from bigger carrots. True child carrots, prized for his or her sweetness, are harvested earlier than reaching maturity and have pointed suggestions and inexperienced tops similar to absolutely grown carrots. The opposite kind of carrot to keep away from is on the reverse finish of the spectrum: big horse carrots, that are watery, bland, and sure, meant for horses. As a substitute, search for medium-sized carrots, ideally with the inexperienced tops nonetheless connected; use the greens to make carrot prime pesto or as an alternative choice to parsley in chimichurri.
Now, earlier than we get into our greatest carrot recipes, this is a bonus one for carrot fries. (We all know you need it.) Peel and quarter your carrots lengthwise (and possibly some parsnips too, should you’ve obtained ’em), then toss them in olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Roast them on a sheet pan at 425° for about 20 minutes, till their edges are crispy. Serve with the sauce of your selecting. That is it.