Tag: wortel

Sand Carrots

6 February 2023

We were chatting to our favourite greengrocer. Anything special this week? Yes, absolutely, we’ve got Carottes des Sables, also known as sand carrots. The carrots grow in sand in the French Normandy region. The sand has been fertilized with seaweed for many years. The carrots grow slowly and don’t develop a fibrous core, as other carrots do. Furthermore, they are not stored in cool warehouses. Immediately after the harvest they are transported to the greengrocer or the kitchen, covered with sand, to keep them fresh and aromatic. A culinary treat, appreciated by Michelin star chefs.

The carrots are simply delicious and look wonderful. The colour is vibrant orange. We tasted carrot as carrot should taste, crunchy, a touch sweet and fresh.

You could braise the carrots in stock with star anise and finish with butter. We decided to keep it simple and give all credits to the carrot. We served them with a pork medallion with apricots and prunes. A combination that worked very well.

Wine Pairing

The sweetness of the carrots is leading. We opened a bottle of St. Amour, one of the ten crus of the Beaujolais, produced by Maison Jean Loron. An elegant red wine with aromas of strawberries, cassis and chocolate. The tannins are soft and pleasant. The taste is a wonderful balance of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

In general you’re looking for a light or medium bodied wine, with character and fruity aromas. Could be a Malbec, perhaps a blend of Syrah and Grenache?

What You Need

  • Sand Carrots
  • Butter

What You Do

Wash the carrots carefully, slice, add to a pan with a bit of water and butter. Cook until you’re happy with the firmness of the carrot. By then the water should have evaporated. You could serve them with fresh parsley, cilantro, cinnamon or black pepper. We were perfectly happy with this simple preparation.

Sand Carrots ©cadwu
Sand Carrots with Pork Medallion ©cadwu

Mirepoix

24 February 2022

A combination of three ingredients that is essential when preparing stocks, stews and sauces: onion, carrot and celery (ratio 2:1:1). It’s intriguing that this combination works so well. All three bring sweetness when cooked, the combination is balanced and it brings depth to the result.

The celery could be a bit confusing: should it be celeriac, the root (knob) or celery, the fibrous stalks? Some suggest using the root in winter and the stalks in summer. We suggest using the stalks in all cases. They are very aromatic and they come with a touch of saltiness, very different from the root.

When for instance you want to make a beef stew, then first sear the beef, remove it from the pan, perhaps add some oil or butter and then add the mirepoix. Leave to simmer on low heat for 15 minutes or so or until soft. It’s all about creating flavours and aromas. Make sure you don’t brown the mirepoix. 

Another approach is to add it to (cold) water. This works well when making a white stock. And of course, when you want to make a powerful, tasty vegetable stock.

What You Need

  • 1 Large Onion
  • 3 Celery Stalks
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1 Leek
  • 1 Small Tomato
  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • 1 Bouquet Garni (Parsley, Bay Leaf, Thyme)

What You Do

In the Netherlands an extended version of Mirepoix is fairly standard: onion, carrot, celery and leek (ratio 1:1:1:1) , also known as WUPS (Wortel, Ui, Prei en Selder). We prefer this version because the leek seems to bring extra flavours. Or perhaps because we’re Dutch?
Clean and dice the celery, the carrot, the leek and the tomato. Peel and chop the onion and the garlic. Add all ingredients and the bouquet garni to a pan with cold water and allow to simmer for one hour or so. Pass through a sieve and decide if you want to reduce the liquid. It freezes very well, so ideal to make ice cubes for use in sauces.

Mirepoix ©cadwu
Mirepoix plus extra ingredients for vegetable stock ©cadwu