Carrots

"Eat your carrots" so this is how you do it. Carrots are available all year and must be cheap because lately I've seen carrots in things I've never seen them in before. They come fresh, frozen and canned and juiced. Fresh is better but frozen and canned are good in a pinch when time isn't there.

When shopping for carrots look for firm, nicely shaped with good color. Buy organic. If you want more information on the carrot try this website:

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk.

Preparation: Remove the greens (if you bought them with the tops). Scrub with a vegetable brush, scrape with a knife or you can peel them. Cut off the top and ends. Either slice, dice, shred. cut lengthwise or leave whole.

To Cook: Heat about 1 inch water, if you don't have a problem with salt, add it, bring to a boil and add the carrots. Cover and return to a boil, reduce heat and cook until tender, about 25 minutes for whole, 5 minutes for shredded, 18 to 20 minutes for lengthwise and 15 minutes for slices.


Steamed: Prepare carrots as for cooked above. Use a medium to large saucepan. Fill with about 1 to 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Place steamer basket in pan, add carrots. Cover and steam until tender. Shredded carrots will only take about 5 minutes. Test for doneness using a metal skewer or fork – be sure and use an oven mitt when removing the cover, steam can deliver a painful burn. Make sure you do not boil away all the water; add more if needed.