"A CARROT A DAY..."

“A Carrot a Day….”

            To paraphrase a well known healthy adage, sometimes a carrot may be almost as good as an apple, especially if at this time of the year you suddenly come in possession of a lot of them. It has been a bumper crop for carrots in my garden!

            Taking one look at the bucket of carrots, my husband politely inquired if I was going to start a rabbit farm this fall or had I made acquaintance with some horses that need a vitamin supplement?   Alas, “No”, I had to reply, this was our own fall supply and was going to be stored in a cool part of the basement. Carrots keep well in a cool place for months and we tend to eat a lot of them both cooked and raw.

            As a healthy between meal snack or part of a raw vegetable plate they can’t be beat for providing vitamins and fiber, with the added benefit of not too many calories and a crunchy texture that makes you feel that you have been eating something of substance. Our grandchildren love them and I always keep a closed container in the refrigerator with peeled carrots cut in convenient stick lengths for easy snacking. Actually, clean regular carrots, cut in 2 inch pieces and carefully quartered lengthwise are easier to bite than the machined mini-carrots sold in bags.

            Cooked carrots are slightly sweet and add both good texture and flavoring to soups from chicken noodle to general vegetable to lentil and bean soups. The flavor is especially interesting when enhanced with a bit of orange or other flavorings like ginger.  One of my favorites is a carrot and ginger soup, which has a lovely color and some of the consistency of butternut squash soup so popular in the fall.

                                                Fall carrot and ginger soup

            Sautè 2 sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only) and one stalk celery with leaves in 2 Tblsp. butter in a 3 quart pot for 5 minutes, stir in 1 Tblsp. finely chopped fresh ginger for an additional minute. Add 3 cups sliced peeled carrots, 2-3 cups chicken or vegetable broth and a cored but unpeeled chopped apple, 1 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper and enough water to cover all the vegetables. Bring to boil and cook on medium heat covered for 20 minutes. Allow to cool a bit and puree in a blender, adjusting to desired creaminess with additional broth or water. Reheat with 1Tblsp. white wine vinegar and serve sprinkled with shredded coconut.

I like to mix in chunks of carrot in a medley of roasted fall vegetables.  It is an easy and quickly prepared side dish for roasted or braised meats and has the advantage of  one pan preparation.

                                    Autumn vegetable roast

Peel and cube in large chunks: 3 medium potatoes, 2-3 carrots, 1 sweet potato, 1 seeded red pepper, 1 red onion cut in 6 to 8 wedges lengthwise, leaving the wedges attached at the root base. In small bowl combine 2 Tblsp. olive oil, 2 Tblsp. balsamic vinegar, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tsp. chopped rosemary (optional). Toss the vegetables in small batches in the oil mix and spread on a sided large baking pan. Sprinkle with 1 tsp coarse salt and roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning the vegetables once during baking.

For the ultimate carrot treat of course nothing beats a moist carrot cake that can truly be classified as an all time fall comfort food.  So, no rabbit farm for me, but we are certainly well supplied with carrots for all occasions.

             (I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

IT IS STILL GRILL TIME!

It is still grill time

September arrives and we tend to turn our brains on fall autopilot for food, which neglects the fact that the weather and our grills are still conducive to outdoor cooking.  The garden vegetables are still abundant and fall fruit has it’s own appeal.

Although at out house, it has been a struggle to stay ahead of the burgeoning chipmunk population (thanks to our warm winter), they seem to be one step ahead of me in harvesting berries and fruit this year. The pear at the house had only two pears this year and guess what, I did not get even one of them!  Fortunately the peach tree was loaded, so the human and animal residents all had their fill.

Fall grilling poses it’s own challenges. We have gone through most of our old favorite summer grilling recipes and one more chicken, kebab, hamburger or steak on the grill does not sound nearly as appetizing as it did in May.  And then there is the still wonderful and abundant corn on the cob.  I was originally taught that corn should come straight from the stalk to the kitchen, shucked and cooked only for 3 minutes in furiously boiling water to give the sweetest and most tender kernels. If you had to keep it for a few hours before cooking, refrigeration would help.  And then, those of us who relished Rex Stout’s mysteries, learned that his amazing gourmet, orchid fancier and private investigator Nero Wolfe had a specialty way of cooking corn on the cob in their husks.

This summer food magazines abound with appetizing pictures of grilled corn. I had grilled corn in its husk after soaking for half an hour before, but grilling corn out of the husk (again after soaking for half an hour in iced water) sounded a bit iffy. Would the kernels get tough when slightly browned in spots?  The only way to answer that was to try and the results were wonderful.

                        Grilled shucked corn

Shuck the fresh corn and submerge in iced water for at least 30 minutes. Place on a well-oiled grill on medium heat (400 degrees) and cook with the lid closed about 12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes so that all sides are grilled with a few areas lightly toasted.  Serve with butter and salt, but this grilled corn will be so sweet that any other condiment seems superfluous.

Pork seems more appropriate for fall than summer, but because of food safety reasons we have been reluctant to cook it on the grill.  Pork should be served thoroughly cooked and grilling can dry out lean meat to the point of shoe leather.  However, a bit of seasoning and careful turning gives a flavorful meal.

                        Grilled double thick pork chop

Season a double-thick natural pork chop with garlic salt, Southwest or other seasoning, rub and refrigerate for an hour.  Grill on an oiled grill on medium heat with the lid closed for 12 to 15 minutes total, turning several times. Baste with barbecue or other grilling sauce on each side the last couple of minutes of cooking time. Slice across the grain and serve with additional sauce or horseradish, if desired.

Peaches, still easily available in stores this time of the year, go especially well with pork dishes. Cut a still firm peach in half, remove the pit and place on a well-oiled grill, cut side down, the last couple of minutes while the pork is cooking. Remove from the grill and serve with the meat. For an extra treat, drizzle the peaches with a maple syrup-lemon juice mixture (1 tablespoon each).

Enjoy the fall grilling season!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)