Eros and Carrots
abluedotkitchen.com , romancingrecipe.blog
Carrot Recipes Included
Roasted Carrot Bisque with Coconut and Citrus
Carrot Cashew Coconut Cardamom Pudding
Savory Carrot Pie with preserved lemon, black mustard seed and cumin
Sweet Carrot Pie with Anise and Orange
Spiced Roasted Carrots with Citrus and Lemongrass
Apple/Carrot Pickle
Special Note: Pictures are meant to show the spirit of the dish and do not necessarily depict your end result. Enjoy the process and have fun. Want to share your final foodie creation with us? Tag us on social @ptfoodcoop.
Eros, Greek God of desire is tall dark and handsome, not the baby faced cupid we see on Valentine’s cards. Eros is libido, passion, and our erotic attention towards life. If you want the real deal then follow my advice for a romantic dinner that creates the magic you crave.
Set the mood with candles and music. Perhaps a cafe table with red checkered cloth and white napkins. Make it memorable with love poems, but all good stereotypes must end. You will evoke Eros, but from a new culinary territory. No need for fancy French words or complicated equipment, because your enticement— lure, symbol of Lovecraft and codeword is CARROTS.
Forget the chocolate and choose carrots
Chocolate is cliche, but carrots, since ancient Greek times, were used to increase fertility and desire. They’re believed to inspire love and served for meals of the heart. Carrot seeds and flowers were considered an aphrodisiac.
Cupid and Carrots
Carrots were so praised as an aphrodisiac in ancient Rome that there were banquets composed solely of carrot cuisine. Carrot salads, followed by carrot soup, then roasted carrots and smashed carrots, finishing with carrot cake. You must remember in those days carrots were white, purple and red. It was only much later that orange carrots came on the scene.
Lovers increase night vision
Lovers must not lose sight of their beloveds while wrestling through the dark. Which is another reason to keep carrots on the menu. Carrots contain beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A, and jumping through a few more hoops, converted into the purple pigment rhodopsin, which is essential for night vision. Look before you leap.
Carrot color matters more than size
The orangeness of carrots combines the energy and passion of red with the happiness of yellow. Orange carrots are joy, sunshine, and the tropics. They represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, attraction, encouragement and stimulation. All of these qualities of orange become part of your carrot powers.
Carrots take relationship deeper
Carrots are associated with rabbits. Rabbits symbolize fertility and so bring good luck to love. Because carrots are so nourishing they bring strength and vitality. Harvested from the earth, carrots help us consider that fulfillment may require digging and returning to our roots to find true love’s meaning.
Chef Notes on Carrots
Keep them bright— use lime or lemon to finish
Anise seed, Fennel, Orange, Coriander, Cumin, Thyme, garam masala, ginger, turmeric, and garlic are all good with carrots
Roasting is my favorite way with carrots
Fresh pickled carrots are delicious
Coconut milk makes a delicious carrot soup
Roasted Carrot Bisque with Coconut and Citrus
Makes 1 quart
1 hour
This is love soup. If you are looking for carrots as an aphrodisiac then this is the spell you’re seeking. I can humbly say it’s one of the best soups I’ve ever made.
Ingredients
Roasting Ingredients
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 inch nub fresh ginger, unpeeled, minced
1 inch nub fresh turmeric, unpeeled, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 medium carrots, unpeeled, chopped
1 tablespoon garam masala, recipe below
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Finishing Ingredients
14-ounce can full fat coconut milk
Juice and zest of one medium lemon
Juice and zest of one medium orange
Fried Topping Ingredients
2 tablespoons avocado oil
⅓ cup unsweetened wide coconut flakes
¼ cup dates
¼ cup raw cashews
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
sprinkle of flaked sea salt
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
Directions
Grind spices together for garam masala. Preheat the oven to 425 F line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss all the roasting ingredients together with the oil, salt and spices. Roast for 25 minutes. Stir and roast for another 20 minutes. In a high-powered blender, puree the roasted ingredients with coconut milk and citrus until smooth. Taste and correct as needed.
While the carrots roast make the fried topping. Using a medium to medium high heat, warm the ghee or oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add the toppings and fry, stirring and watching closely until toasty, about 4 minutes. Pulse them together in a food processor, until medium fine, about 10 pulses. Serve with bisque, or generously add to the top of the individual portions.
Garam Masala
Grind together and store in a jar to use as needed
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon allspice berries
1 teaspoon green cardamom pods with hulls removed
2 dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon red pepper powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Carrot Cashew Coconut Cardamom Pudding
Instant Pot
Serves 6
30 minutes
This is my rendition of gajar halwa, Indian carrot pudding. Traditionally, it’s made on the stove top with grated carrots, milk and lots of sugar. I wanted a smoother pudding, less sugar and more of the yummy toppings. Mine’s still quite sweet. This is a comfort dessert, especially served warm. It makes me happy that it’s nutritious yet such a treat. I keep going back for another taste, just to make sure I got it right (smile).
Ingredients
Instant Pot
3 cups chopped carrots, unpeeled
1 can full fat coconut milk, 14 ounces
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
¼ cup raw cashews, ground into a flour using a spice grinder
Spices
2 green cardamom pods, opened with shells removed
1 teaspoon anise seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon monk fruit powder
Topping
2 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil
¼ cup unsweetened wide coconut flakes
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup dates
¼ cup raw cashews
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
sprinkle of flaked sea salt
Directions
Add the carrots, coconut milk, sugar and cashew flour to the Instant Pot. Set to high pressure for 7 minutes. When the cycle’s finished, instantly release. Using a food processor, add the spices and puree the carrot mixture until smooth. Portion into cups or serve family style in a large bowl.
While the carrot mixture is cooking
Grind the spices together into a powder.
On a medium to medium high heat, warm the ghee or oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add the toppings and fry, stirring and watching closely until toasty, about 4 minutes. Pulse together in a food processor, until medium fine, about 10 pulses. Serve alongside the pudding, or generously add to the top of the individual portions.
You can eat the pudding warm—delicious or cold — good.
When chilled the pudding will continue to thicken.
Two Carrot Pies
Both delicious and both completely different from each other. Quite nice to bake and serve together as a unique carrot pie meal.
Enough Carrot Puree For Both Pies
Start with 2 lbs/ 900g carrots, cut up, boiled until soft and pureed until smooth. Reserve the boiling water. I used a vitamix and a spice grinder.
Savory Carrot Pie with preserved lemon, black mustard seed and cumin
INGredients
1 ½ cups pureed carrots
3 large eggs
½ cup carrot water leftover from boiling carrots
¼ cup preserved lemon
2 teaspoons toasted cumin
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon black mustard seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Toast cumin, grind and sift.
Add to preserved lemon and puree until smooth with olive oil.
Heat butter and cook mustard seeds on a medium until they pop.
Add all ingredients except mustard seeds to a blender and blend until absolutely smooth.
Add mustard seeds and butter.
Blend briefly.
Put into a partially blind baked 9-inch crust, still hot.
Bake at 350F/176C for 40 minutes or until set.
Sweet Carrot Pie with Anise and Orange
INGredients
1 ½ cups pureed carrots
3 large eggs
¼ cup brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon stevia powder
½ cup carrot water leftover from boiling carrots
1 tablespoon anise seed
2 teaspoons coriander seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons good quality orange extract or 1 tablespoon orange zest
INSTRUCTIONS
Grind anise and coriander together and sift
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until absolutely smooth
Put into a partially blind baked 9-inch crust, still hot.
Bake at 350F/176C for 40 minutes or until set
Spiced Roasted Carrots with Citrus and Lemongrass
Serves 6
1 hour including roasting time
These roasted carrots make an exciting vegetable side. They’re massaged with fragrant spices, roasted and finished with a glaze of honey, lime and salt.
Ingredients
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
1-inch piece of peeled ginger, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, use white part and chop
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
All the spice mix (recipe follows)
1 lemon, zested, the rind cut away and chopped with core removed
1 navel orange, zested, the rind cut away and chopped with core removed
2 tablespoons runny honey
Fresh lime juice to finish
Finishing salt to taste
Cilantro leaves to garnish
Spice mix
Grind the spices in a spice grinder and sift through a sieve.
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons coriander seed
2 cloves
¼ teaspoon black peppercorn
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grind the spices and set aside. In a small food processor: grind the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, sesame oils, tamari and salt into a paste. Stir the dry spices into the paste.
Prep the carrots into thick matchsticks. Zest the citrus, cut away the rinds, cut out the core and chop. Put the carrots and citrus on the baking sheet and lovingly massage the paste in.
Roast for 20 minutes, stir making sure you bring the carrots at the edges into the center, so that everything roasts evenly. Roast another 15 minutes, taste the carrots until they’re roasted to your liking. Drizzle on the honey, toss and return to the oven, allowing it to glaze the carrots for 3 minutes, making sure not to burn them.
Taste and sprinkle with finishing salt and lime juice to taste. Serve with cilantro leaves as a garnish.
Apple/Carrot Pickle
Makes 2 quarts
Fermentation at room temperature is about three days
Ingredients
3 lbs/1.42 kg grated carrots
1 ½ lbs/589g small dice chopped cooking apples
1 tablespoon/17g sea salt
1 cup/115g raisins
1 teaspoon/2.6g cinnamon
2 tablespoons/10g fresh ginger grated
Instructions
Grate carrots I use a food processor
Chop Apples
Add carrots, apples, raisins, spice and salt to a large mixing bowl
Massage the mixture with your bare beautiful hands, singing blessings, thinking good thoughts, and being grateful for the wonders of fermentation.
If you do this correctly the juices will begin to run, a miracle.
I use a ½ gallon mason jar but any big jar or crock will work
Put kraut mix in by the handful and using your fist press and pack it into the jar, continue until it’s all in and the brine from the packing covers the carrots and apples
Leave two inches of headroom at the top
The mantra is: “Under the brine doing fine” meaning as long as the veggies are covered in brine they are happy, safe, content and fermenting.
Tuck a large grape leaf, or cabbage leaf over the veggies, tuck-tuck like a child for sleep
Set a jelly jar on top and press down pushing the brine to the top of the mason jar.
Set a bowl under the jar to catch any drips or spills
Put your fermenting kraut in a cool room temperature out of direct sunlight and cover it so it won’t collect dust.
Check it after three days, or everyday it’s ok if you’re the fussy type.
It’s done when it tastes pleasantly sour, instead of salty.
Repack into smaller jars, making sure some brine covers the top
It should last several months or longer in the fridge, but it won’t because it’s so good.
I made my ½ gallon a on Saturday and it’s already half gone.