Are you looking for carrot recipes that will change your or your family’s preconceived notions about this popular vegetable? Carrots are a very popular vegetable but not a lot of people love them. Carrots can be made into a juice, soup, or it can be made into a cake.
Carrots can be steamed, boiled, or roasted just like any other vegetable. It can be sliced, diced, grated, shredded, or it can even be cooked whole. If you want to have a carrots recipe that has intense and concentrated flavors, you definitely have to consider roasting carrots. Roasting carrots is a very quick and easy dish to make and yet it can provide a mouthwatering and scrumptious experience. As the carrots roast, their natural sugars will be released thus their flavors will also intensify.
How To Prepare Carrots For Roasting
If you are thinking of making roasted carrots, you must first choose the right carrots. Choosing the best carrots has a critical effect on the final product of your recipe. You must choose carrots that are firm, smooth, and do not have any splits or cracks. The larger carrots also tend to be sweeter as compared to smaller carrots. It is also advisable to select the carrot that still has greens so that the carrots will last longer and it will also taste fresher.
When preparing carrots for roasting, you must first clean the carrots thoroughly with the use of a vegetable brush. You can peel the skin off, especially if you bought an organically grown carrot. However, you can keep the skin on if you want to enjoy more health benefits. After washing the carrots, you must then cut the carrots into uniform-sized pieces so that the pieces will be evenly cooked. You must also use a baking dish large enough to hold the carrots and the pieces must have enough space between each other.
Cooking Caramelized Roasted Carrots
You will only need to do very basic procedures when roasting carrots. You will only have to brush the carrots with olive oil and preheat the oven. However, if you want to enjoy more intense flavors and liven up your taste buds, you can always add your own choice of spices. For instance, you can make a caramelized cumin roasted carrots. This recipe is very easy to make and it doesn’t take a lot of effort and time.
- 12 medium carrots, washed and peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds
- Course kosher salt (according to taste)
First, you have to make sure that you cut the carrots into even slices to make sure that the pieces will be evenly roasted. You can cut the carrots diagonally into ½ inch thick pieces. You must also heat the oven before putting the carrots inside at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brush the baking dish with olive oil. In a large bowl, add the carrots and the spices you want such as the cumin seeds and salt. Toss the carrots thoroughly to ensure that the pieces are all coated. Spread the pieces in a single layer on the prepared baking dish. After doing so, you can now place the baking dish inside your oven. Roast the carrots until they are lightly caramelized, brown, and tender. You must also remember to turn the carrots over at least once. This recipe can take about 35 to 40 minutes to finish.
