Straight from the Farm

Okay, who’s the wise guy?  C’mon, this isn’t fair!  How did it get to be August – the fifth day nonetheless – already?!?!   I swear someone’s just messing with me and somehow got my wall calendar, my phone calendar, my computer calendar, and my multiple inbox calendars flipped forward in the middle of the night while I was blissfully unaware in my sleep.  That’s got to be it!

Well, on the off chance that it IS really the fifth day of August, now’s a great time for a chilled side dish that will perk up your wilted lunch breaks or make you look like a rock star at your collective family’s week “down the shore” in that beach house you all rent every year.  Glazed Carrots in Lavender Vinegar sounds really ooo-la-la, but it’s really an easy-peezy dish to make. 

The lavender hints really ratchet up the flavor in this dish, but I understand that not everyone has had the time to brew their own lavender vinegar.  If you visit the grocery store, particularly a “specialty” market like Whole Foods, you’ll likely run into a suitable alternative in their selection of fancy vinegars.  Off the top of my head, I think a nice alternative would be orange champagne vinegar. The dish would be completely different, but orange and carrot are bosom buddies in just about any preparation. 

As exciting as the glazed carrots are, I really need to go now and find out where the last three weeks of my life went.  In the meantime, tell me what dish has really surprised you this summer.  Surprise can be both a good and a bad thing – I’d love to hear about both!  

Oh, and if you have any clever ideas for using up bushels of carrots, I’d love to hear those as well.  I feel a wave of carrot recipes coming on since I just pulled all my King Midas carrots this morning!

Glazed Carrots In Lavender Vinegar
Adapted from Vegetarian: the best-ever recipe collection

1 lb. carrots
2 T. butter
1 T. brown sugar
½ C. lavender vinegar
4 T. vegetable stock
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 T. finely chopped mint

Trim the tops and bottoms of the carrots, washing and peeling them.  Using a sharp knife, cut the carrots into thin julienne strips.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the carrots and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Sprinkle over the sugar and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until the sugar is dissolved. 

Add the lavender vinegar and stock, bring to a boil and stir in the mustard.  Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for 10-12 minutes, or until the carrots are just tender.  Remove the lid and continue cooking until the liquid has thickened. 

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the mint.  Serve warm or chilled.

(serves 4)