Saturday 27 August 2016

Ingredienti by Marcella Hazan (plus a carrot experiment)




A huge thank you to Beth Fish Reads for steering me towards Ingredienti.  This is a jewel of a book jam packed with ideas – all based on an Italian approach to ingredients.

It is not a recipe book as such but armed with her comments about ingredients you will be inspired to make many dishes yourself.

Carole's Chatter: Carrot Experiment


The first experiment I conducted as a result of reading this book was with carrots.  The results were not particularly memorable but I think this was because I used baby carrots and cut them too thin.  So I will be trying this again.

All you do is slice the carrots into rounds (try for an even ¼ inch width).  Braise the carrots slowly in butter with a tablespoon of water added from time to time as needed.  The key is to cook them a long time on a low heat.  You don't turn the carrots over at all.  When the carrots have wrinkled a bit and are a dark colour they are ready.

7 comments:

  1. Next time, sprinkle over a few tablespoons of sugar once the butter has melted and cook on a high heat - you will end up with the most beautiful, sweet caramelised carrots you've ever tasted :)

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  2. I think I worry with my stove the heat will be so high that the carrots would burn. I have the glass top and let me tell you, once it gets high it's hard to regulate the heat. I will try it though and I not use the baby carrots.
    Thanks for the tip.

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  3. "Baby carrots" are kind of a con job by industrial agriculture -- if you read the label it actually says "baby CUT carrots" which means they put full-size carrots through some kind of industrial lathe to make them that size & shape. These aren't nearly as fresh as carrots you peel and shape yourself!

    My first Marcella Hazan cookbook is still pretty new -- I too find her an intriguing recipe source.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  4. The book sounds interesting. Very simple cooking.

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  5. Oh I have to try those carrots! Ingredienti gave me a bunch of ideas.

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  6. I must find this book, Beth Fish Reads knows all the best ones.

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  7. I have never been a fan of cooked carrots (although I like raw... go figure). This recipe sounds like one I might enjoy. Thanks for sharing!

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