As well as the old “wash your hands,” most of us grew up with a dinner plate check along with that oft-heard, time-honored “eat your peas, carrots, string beans” or whatever that night’s completely undesirable veggie choice happened to be.
Cooked carrots have always been the stumbling block for me. A fresh raw carrot now, that’s a whole different story, especially if the carrot is pulled straight from the garden, hosed off and eaten right on the spot.
Now that’s how carrots should be eaten, I’ve always thought. Never, not ever, cooked, no matter what way, not even with my mother’s marvelous pot roast. And I’m relieved to know I’m not the only one, either, who has a cooked-carrot issue.
Everett cook and frequent Forum recipe-sharer Lavon Woodey now has me rethinking my carrot stance, though, because she writes, “For someone not that fond of carrots, I often have seconds of this. The apricots lend a nice flavor and a color change, and the orange juice adds spunk to the dish.
“This recipe is a winner with everybody at my company dinners. It’s even good for you!”
And, for everybody who loves asparagus (or maybe even if you haven’t before), Lavon also shares a new how-to, and tells us, “With asparagus on the market now, this easy dish can be ready to go in a few minutes.
“The flavors of this tender-crisp veggie are a delight, and everyone eats it with never a complaint. You may never steam asparagus again!”
Apricot-orange glazed carrots
5-6medium carrots, peeled and sliced
Water
Sauce:
1/2 cup dried apricots, sliced
1/2 cup orange juice
1tablespoon butter or margarine
1 1/2teaspoons brown sugar
1/2teaspoon salt
1/4teaspoon grated orange peel
1/8teaspoon ground ginger
Garnish: minced green onions and sliced almonds (optional)
In a saucepan, boil carrots in 1 inch of water for 9 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain and turn carrots into a serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap and set aside to keep warm until the sauce is ready.
For the sauce, in a small saucepan, combine the apricots, orange juice, butter or margarine, brown sugar, salt, orange peel and ginger; stir well, then cook, stirring, until sauce is slightly thickened. Pour sauce over the reserved carrots and stir to combine. If desired, garnish with the minced green onions and sliced almonds.
Makes 6 servings.
Asparagus stir-fry
1large bunch asparagus
2tablespoons olive oil
1clove garlic, minced
Lemon pepper
Clean asparagus, snapping off bottom stems; cut into 1-inch pieces or larger.
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and garlic until hot; add asparagus and stir-fry until tender-crisp. You can cover the pan with a lid to speed things up, but watch carefully. Sprinkle with lemon pepper to taste.
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