A few months ago, I did a double take in the produce aisle of my local Andronico’s. Before my eyes, right next to their more traditional white counterparts, lay bunches of purple cauliflower. I wondered how the purple cauliflower would look on a platter, prepared my favorite way, steamed and slathered in a rich cheddar cheese sauce. I kept on walking. But yesterday, at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market, I saw these beauties (see picture below). Behold: The Purple Carrot.
Purple carrots (and cauliflower) derive their color from anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant. The Afghan population ate purple carrots as far back as the 900s, and the Romans ate them as well. Orange carrots weren’t available until the Dutch started breeding them in the sixteenth century. For more on the history and nutritional value of purple carrots, see these articles from New Food and the cialis professional online >USDA.
I thought about how I cou phentermine pills without prescription ld prepare them. Cheddar cheese sauce was out of the question, so I opted for roasting them.
As Ina Garten says, use a “good olive oil,” like Olio Santo brand. (The last time I checked, Williams-Sonoma was out of Olio Santo online, but I can still find it at their Ala Moana Center and San Francisco Embarcadero 2 stores.) I also like the texture of a thick-grained sea salt; I used Fleur de Sel by Espirit du Sel. Roasting caramelizes the sugars in the carrots, giving them an almost gooey crust. These came out so well, I might even give the purple cauliflower a try.
Roasted Purple Carrots (serves four as a side dish)
4 medium carrots
good olive oil
sea salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and peel carrots. Pat them dry with a paper towel (the purple color rubs off slightly during washing). Slice carrots on the diagonal, about 1/2″ thick. Drizzle olive oil over carrots. Season liberally with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Roast in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (or to desired tenderness). Halfway through roasting, toss the carots to redistribute the olive oil over them. Serve warm.
