Tag Archives: carrot

Root Vegetable Korma

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Korma is a creamy, rich vegetable stew — Indian comfort food worthy of a dinner party, but easy to throw together for mid-week supper as well. This version comes from Nigel Slater’s fabulous cookbook come memoir, Tender: A Cook and his Vegetable Patch. Serve with rice or naan (in the frozen section at Trader Joe’s).

Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ pounds mixed roots: parsnip, rutabaga, carrot, turnip, potato or such
  • 2/3 cup cashews
  • 6 green cardamom pods
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and minced
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, coarsely grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon chile powder
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 small green chiles, thinly sliced
  • 2/3 cup cream
  • 2/3 cup plain yogurt
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

  1. Peel and cut the vegetables into uniformly sized cubes, ¾ inch or so.
  2. Coarsely chop half the cashews. Toast the whole cashews in a small dry skillet until spotted in areas with golden brown.
  3. Open cardamom pods. Remove seeds. Crush with a mortar and pestle into a gritty powder.
  4. Warm the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and stir in the onions. Cook until soft, but not colored. Add the ginger and garlic and cook over gentle heat for a couple of minutes. Add the cardamom, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chile powder and cinnamon stick. Cook the spices for a few minutes until their fragrance is noticeable.
  5. Add the vegetables, chopped nuts and chiles. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 3 cups water, partially cover with a lid and simmer gently for 45 minutes until roots are tender.
  6. Carefully add the cream and yogurt to the pan, letting them heat through, but not boil (or the mixture will curdle). Check the seasoning and add more salt or pepper as needed. Scatter the toasted nuts and some chopped cilantro on top before serving.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

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Many Moroccan carrot salads rely on cooked veggies—I prefer using the raw roots. Try tossing in a few mint leaves too, if you have them. A trick for julienning:  use an OXO handheld julienne peeler.  The tool turns out long, thin strips like magic.  Otherwise, a sharp knife does the job as well.  To make the task easier, first cut peeled carrots lengthwise, into long, thin strips.  Then cut those slices lengthwise into thin, parallel strips.

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Confetti Slaw

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A fresh head of cabbage calls for a spin on cole slaw with a light vinaigrette dressing. Feel free to vary the flavors by adding other crisp raw veggies in quantities that suit your tastes – shredded fennel, broccoli or spinach would be lovely.

Ingredients:

  • One small (or half large) head of green cabbage
  • 2 carrots, shredded using large holes on box grater
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced in half rounds
  • ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced into 1 inch long pieces
  • ½ yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced into 1 inch long pieces
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • ½ cup arugula, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 5 Tbsp fruity extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

  1. Place olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice in a small, clean jar, screw on lid and shake to combine.
  2. Toast pepitas in a dry pan on medium heat. Watch carefully and shake pan frequently to turn seeds as they toast. Remove from pan when seeds begin to lightly brown. Set aside to cool.
  3. With a sharp knife, shred cabbage very thinly into 3-inch strips about ¼ inch wide. Place into a large serving bowl. Add carrots, onion, peppers, cilantro and pepitas. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add more dressing as needed. Save any unused dressing for another salad. Serve immediately.

Chinese Style Stir-fried Vegetables

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(Serves 4-6)

This dish is my version of vegetable stir-fry and doesn’t really come close to the delicious dish pictured above, served up in the authentic way by my friend, Ewen – but it’ll do nicely for a start.

My  melange allows wide latitude for substitution – feel free to use vegetables you have on hand, such as bell pepper, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas of all kinds, cabbage, bok choy and other greens.  Be sure to stir-fry each type of veggie separately – as they cook at different rates.

Ingredients:

  • 2 or more Tbsp peanut or canola oil
  • ½ package firm tofu, drained and cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 cups thinly sliced carrots
  • 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup broccoli stems and floret pieces
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 6 scallions or green onion, cut into 1 inch slices
  • 1 large handful spinach, rinsed and stemmed
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ to 1 Tbsp minced ginger root (to taste)
  • 2 cups warm vegetable stock
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp dry Chinese wine or dry sherry
  • 1 tsp sugar or agave nectar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Method:

  1. Mix last 5 ingredients together (stock-sesame oil).  Set aside – keeping slightly warm.
  2. If desired, pan-fry the tofu cubes very gently in a bit of oil in a hot wok.  Turn to fry on all sides until golden.  Remove from wok and drain on paper towel.  Set aside.
  3. Reheat wok and add a bit of oil.  Stir-fry carrots, mushrooms and broccoli, separately, one type of vegetable at a time (to ensure even cooking).  Remove from pan, set aside in a large bowl, then cook the next.
  4. Add more oil to the wok, then quickly stir-fry green onions, garlic and ginger root together.  Quickly add the reserved cooked vegetables, bean sprouts, tofu (pan-fried or un-cooked) and spinach.  Stir-fry until spinach is just wilted.
  5. Pour the reserved liquid over the vegetables and toss lightly.  Serve over pan-fried noodles.

 

Café Gratitude Style Summer Rolls

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Collard wrapped Summer Rolls

Makes about one cup sauce; summer roll servings vary

Café Gratitude is a natural foods restaurant with locations in San Francisco and Berkeley.  A favorite dish is their collard-wrapped summer rolls.  This is my approximation.  You can improvise the fillings—mix and match as you like.  Choose raw items that offer a range of textures, with plenty of crunch.  Kids will enjoy wrapping their own green bundles.  By the way, the dipping sauce makes a great sandwich or veggie burger spread, too.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup light coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons white miso (from Whole Foods)
  • 2 tablespoons peanut, cashew or almond butter
  • pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
  • handful fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, basil or arugula)
  • drizzle of honey or agave (optional)
  • collard leaves, stems cut off
  • any of the following, cut into long matchstick lengths:  apple, peach, plum, carrot, cucumber, celery, radish, jicama, pear, raw beet, raw turnip
  • ripe avocado, cubed
  • strawberry halves
  • sprouts such as sunflower, pea shoots, radish
  • herbs like basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, dill or arugula (optional)

Method:

  1. For dipping sauce, blend first 8 ingredients (up to collards) together in a food processor until very smooth.  Taste, then add the agave/honey if you like a hint of sweetness. Refrigerate.  This step can be done a day or two ahead of time.
  2. Steam collard leaves until dark green and just pliable (less than one minute).  Rinse under cool water and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
  3. Lay a leaf out on a cutting board.  Place a small amount of julienned fruits and vegetables or other ingredients on each leaf.  Roll up to create a fat cigar-like shape. Repeat with each leaf.  Serve with dipping sauce.  Best eaten shortly after assembly.