International Carrot Day; a day dedicated solely to the celebration of Bugs Bunny’s favourite snack. Every year on 4 April, food lovers far and wide whip up their favourite carrot-inspired dishes.
To spare you the effort of having to page through a dusty cookbook, we’ve compiled three recipes from graduates from Capsicum Culinary Studio.
Chilli Carrot Soup
By Charmaine Lehabe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or parsley
- 5 cups chopped carrots
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ cup cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 green chilis
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
METHOD
Heat butter and oil in a pan over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme (or parsley) and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
Stir in carrots. Add water and broth and bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently until very tender, about 25 minutes. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Stir in the cream (if using) and salt and pepper.
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread.
Glazed Carrots
By Franco Buys
INGREDIENTS
- 1kg rainbow carrots
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 4 tbs butter
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 2 tbs of honey
- 5g fresh thyme
- 5g fresh sage
METHOD
Rinse the carrots under cold water to remove any soil. Place the unpeeled carrots into a pot of boiling salted water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove from water and onto a separate dish and season with salt and pepper.
Heat up a pan to high and first add the oil, then the butter, garlic, sage and thyme. Add your carrots and toss in pan until they start to colour slightly.
Lower the heat to medium, add the honey and let the carrots glaze and bubble for about a minute or two. Check for seasoning.
Carrot Muffins
By Hendrik Pretorius
Ingredients
- 520g flour
- 150ml oil
- 320g sugar
- 250ml yoghurt
- 250ml milk
- 5ml bicarbonate of soda
- 20ml baking powder
- 2 large egg
- 100g carrots, finely grated
- 4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 130g walnuts
- 4 tsp vanilla essence
- 5ml ginger powder
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180ºC and place a rack in the centre of the oven. Grease a 12-cup muffin tray with butter or baking spray. In a medium bowl whisk together the oil, yoghurt, milk, eggs and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, bicarb, baking powder and ginger powder. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the wet mixture into the centre and fold together until the ingredients are well combined.
Add the grated carrots and mix thoroughly. Using a spoon, scoop the mixture into the muffin cups until each cup is about ¾ full. Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the muffin tray halfway through the baking time until the muffins are golden brown. (Insert a skewer and if it comes out clean the muffins are done.)
Remove the muffin pan from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan before serving.
Pictures: Supplied
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