I generally like Nigel Slater. I think he is a good demystifier of cooking and understands the joy of quick comfort food. However, flicking through Real Food about a year ago, the veggie section, I came across and admission that he had never really cared for carrots.
This made me go off Nigel.
I love carrots. Raw. Cooked with a knob of butter. With orange soup. As a dipping crudite with hummus or taramasalata. Grated into yoghurt. Raw, again. Not only are they packed with orange coloured Vitamin C they are also packed with Vitamin See (this is clearly because they are cone shaped and your eyes are made up of rods and cones DO YOU SEE (BETTER NOW)?) Not caring for carrots seemed follow of a high order. Has he never been to Morocco?
When I was in Morocco the signature dish, outside the tagines and couscous, was a carrot salad. Oh Noes – Grated carrot hell – think you., Nope, Moroccan Carrot Salad is a revelation. And I made some last night so it also has the advantage of being DEAD EASY.
500g Carrots: peel and cook whole till tender (not floppy). Cool and chop into thin rounds. Then roast about a teaspoon of cumin seeds, bash with you pestle and mortar until powdery. All a clove of garlic and half a teaspoon of salt. Bash again. Add the juice of a lemon, half a teaspoon of caster sugar (takes away the bitterness), a tablespoon of olive oil and then toss the carrots in the dressing. Add generous helpings of chopped coriander to taste (and you will keep tasting). Serve at room temperature and swoon.
I luv carrots.