Carrots
June is the time for early crop carrots, they are particularly sweet and tasty when picked small. One good rule of thumb is the darker the colour of the carrot the sweeter it will be. Don't peel young fresh carrots as lots of the flavour is in the skin.
Vietnamese Carrot Salad
A super-healthy carrot and white cabbage based salad gets the Asian treatment. The zingy lime, chilli and ginger dressing gives the crunchy veg a massive lift.
Ingredients
- limes 2, 1 juiced and 1 cut into cheeks to serve
- fish sauce 3 tbsp
- sweet chilli sauce 3 tbsp
- root ginger 2cm chunk, finely grated
- carrots, 6 small, finely shredded – a mandolin does the job quickly
- white cabbage ¼, very finely shredded
- peanuts a handful, toasted and chopped
- mint a large bunch, chopped
Method
STEP 1
Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, chilli sauce and ginger. add the carrot, cabbage and mint and toss.
Sprinkle with peanuts.
From Olive Magazine
Carrot dip
Tinker with this dip to get just the balance of creaminess or fire that suits you. Add more crème fraîche or yoghurt if you prefer it on the creamy side, more chilli if you like the heat. Makes enough for four people as a nibble to go with drinks.
About 750g carrots, peeled
2 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼-½ tsp chilli powder (or use a spicy paste such as harissa)
2 tbsp crème fraîche or Greek-style yogurt
2 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
1 tsp rapeseed oil
Salt and pepper
Cut the carrots into small batons and steam until very soft, then mash them or pass them through a mouli. Warm three-quarters of the cumin seeds and all the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan until just fragrant – 30 to 60 seconds – then grind to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar (or crush in a small bowl with the end of a rolling pin).
When the carrots are cold, add the ground spices, citrus juices, chilli, yoghurt and parsley, if using. Adjust the quantities to suit you, and season to taste. When ready to serve, warm the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the remaining cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds until just fragrant. Trickle over the carrot dip and serve with crudités, tempura vegetables and/or flatbread.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in The Guardian
The vegetables and herbs in the Walled Garden are now flourishing with new crops appearing on the Barrow every week.