Some of my best recipes are born out of necessity. Today’s recipe is a perfect example.
A few weeks ago, on an unnaturally warm late-winter day, I decided to poke around my vegetable garden. I hadn’t done so since last December when temperatures had started to dip into the deep-freeze zone.
To my astonishment, I noticed that the carrots I’d never had time to harvest before the ground froze were growing new tops! I gingerly pulled on one and a huge carrot came out of the ground. I pulled on another and the same thing happened. This was nothing short of a miracle. My Danvers carrots had survived an entire winter, and were still growing!
I harvested over 5 pounds of carrots that day and they turned out to be incredibly sweet, snappy – and juicy, even.
As I looked through my repertoire of recipes, none seemed to do justice to these beauties. I wanted to make a dish that brought out their deliciousness to the max. Braising them, I thought, would do just that.
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These colorful roots are never more delicious than when prepared simply. Here they’re baked until perfectly tender and dressed with a delightful anise-flavored vinaigrette.
When crushed in a mortar, the anise seeds impart a delicate licorice-essence to the beets, making this unfussy salad a tad exotic.
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It’s hard to resist potatoes. Puréed, boiled, baked, fried, roasted.. no matter how you cook them, these humble roots always taste good.
But bake oven fries with cumin seeds and these spuds are not just good, they’re sublime. The cumin seeds, while roasting along with the potatoes, acquire a deep flavor and add a bit of crunch to each slice – making them addictive and dreamy!
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The magical attribute of butternut squash is its inherent sweetness. When roasted, butternut squash’s natural sugars caramelize, intensifying its flavor, and turning this humble vegetable into something sublime.
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Few recipes are as easy to make – not to mention as low in calories – as this cauliflower purée.
Gently boiled in milk with a bundle of fresh thyme, the cauliflower acquires a delicate flavor and silky texture. With just over 100 calories per serving, this recipe is as delicious and light as it gets.
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