These honey roasted carrots are simple but delicious. Colourful Dutch carrots are roasted with a simple honey butter and then sprinkled with sesame seeds for a wonderful side dish for meat or as part of a vegetarian spread!
Roasting intensifies the sweetness of vegetables. This also works with vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and onions. My favourite roasted vegetable is actually cabbage because it transforms it into something almost candy sweet whereas I would not have thought of cabbage as a sweet vegetable (unlike carrots that are sweet). I love having a container of roasted vegetables on hand in the fridge to make up a salad especially since the idea of a cold salad isn't as appealing during winter.
The interesting history of carrots: Traditionally carrots are red, purple, white and yellow but in the 17th century the Dutch cultivated an orange carrot that was high in beta carotene. It was adopted as a tribute to William of Orange who led the Dutch to independence. The Dutch were primarily known as carrot farmers. These traditional varieties have names like Cosmic Purple, Atomic Red, Show White, Lunar White and Amarillo.
To peel or not to peel? I like leaving the skin on vegetables as much as possible for the fibre and nutrients. Just make sure to wash the carrots well especially at the top.
Butter or oil? I love the taste of butter so I always tend to choose it over oil especially when combined with honey. However if you prefer, you can substitute the melted butter with oil.
This week has been a difficult one. On Wednesday we had a funeral for my uncle Sam. The last time we saw him just before COVID-19 set in, he was thinner but in good spirits. Then last week we got the call from my cousin Rich that the end was coming close. He was in palliative care at home and wasn't able to eat any food and could only drink squirts of water. He could hear but couldn't talk.
When we saw him for the last time his black hair had turned grey. His breathing was also jagged and there were times when we thought he would take his last breath right then and there. He didn't look like the same uncle who had always looked the same age my whole life. Isn't it funny how some people never change over the decades.
Uncle Sam and I would occasionally debate over politics but mostly, we got on fine as we both love food. He would often host a big dinner and that evening after the morning's funeral we all went out for dinner to celebrate his life which seemed more fitting than a wake because that was his thing. We toasted to Sam that evening over a dinner and traded tales about the family and highlighted what a complex person he was.
So tell me Dear Reader, how was your week this past week?
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