Posts Tagged ‘carrots’
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain has dumped on the Midwest for a few weeks now. Luckily we got our corn, beans, and more carrots in last weekend when we had a respite. The first round of carrots are doing great and few inches tall. Potatoes are coming up. The crops are loving it. It makes me wonder what the rest of the summer is going to be like. Overall the annex garden is almost full, and we need to get the tomatoes, eggplant, and basil in the ground.
More horseradish, please.
Years ago (I’m pretty sure it was the summer before 9th grade, maybe 8th) we went to a wedding “Down South.” This was the kind of wedding where cake and punch is served in the church gathering area immediately following the morning service, then, after wishing the couple well, all go on their merry way. All that is, except for out of town guests and immediate family: they go back to mom’s or grandma’s for a nice little luncheon. It was at this luncheon that my father spied the sweet potatoes and promptly avoided them. Moments later, my mother spied those same sweet potatoes and piled her beautiful china luncheon plate high with them. At the table, she took a bite, then insisted my father try them. Was this a cruel joke? My father is not a fan of sweet potatoes. She insisted, he relented and was shocked. Not sweet potatoes at all; rather sweet, buttery, horseradish carrots. To my father’s mind, what could be better than that? Fast-forward a solid 8, maybe 10 years and my mother was still scouring cookbooks at garage sales looking for a recipe. All of a sudden it dawned on her, we ate these carrots in Alabama, maybe the recipe would be in a Southern cookbook. She picked up the book right in front of her, and low and behold, Horseradish-Glazed Carrots.
You must know, she tweaked the recipe a bit. As in, she halved the butter and honey and doubled (or more) the horseradish. But here’s the thing about horseradish: it looses its spiciness fast. As in, 6 months after opening the kick is almost gone. So, my advice, if using just opened, hold back on the horseradish a bit, and if you’ve got a jar that’s been hanging around awhile, pile it on. Enjoy!
Horseradish Carrots
(This dish reheats beautifully which is why it will be on the Thanksgiving table in Midland tomorrow, along with pumpkin-pie brioche rolls that are cooling on the counter as I type.)
- 1 lb carrots, sliced on the diagonal
- 2 T butter
- 2 T honey
- ¼ cup horseradish (more or less, depending on freshness and to taste)
- Salt, to taste
Cook the carrots to just shy of desired tenderness (some people like to team, some boil, some microwave: use your fave method). I like mine to be fairly tender, but with a bit of firmness left. Drain. Add remaining ingredients and stir until melted and combined. Adjust quantities as needed. Serve immediately, cover and keep warm, or chill and reheat for later. Easy-peasy!