Tag: Carrots

Pierogi – Sauerkraut & Carrot

  • I tried some pierogi recently which had a variation on the sauerkraut filling.
  • The mixture contained grated carrot.
  • I discovered that the sauerkraut and carrot mix can be bought in a jar and this is what I used.

Ingredients – Filling

  • 1 jar of sauerkraut and carrots
  • 1 large onion – chopped fine
  • 25 -30g dried mushrooms – soaked overnight
  • Butter to fry the onion
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • OPTION 
  • Add fresh mushrooms fried in butter and chopped fine to the filling.

Method – Filling

  • Soak the mushrooms overnight.
  • Strain the mushrooms – keep the liquor.
  • Chop the mushrooms into small pieces.
  • Strain the sauerkraut and carrot mixture – keep the liquid – there may not be very much.
  • Chop the sauerkraut and carrots into small pieces.
  • Put the sauerkraut and carrot mixture and liquid into a pan.
  • Add the chopped mushrooms and the liquor.
  • Add boiling water to cover.
  • Put a lid on the pan
  • Cook the gently for around 30 minutes.
  • Check occasionally.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Strain the mixture in a large sieve
  • You can put this into a clean dry cotton or linen cloth and twist the ends together –
  • Squeeze to get it really dry.
  • *
  • Chop the onions finely and fry them till they are soft and golden.
  • Mix the sauerkraut, carrots, mushrooms and onions together.
  • Add some ground black pepper to taste; salt should not be necessary.
  •  
  • (Add the fried chopped mushrooms if using.)
  •  
  • I have written much previously about pierogi  – but have again included the instructions for the dough below.

Ingredients – Dough

  • 500g pasta flour or strong flour or plain flour & 2 tablespoons of fine semolina
  • 300ml water
  • 1 tablespoon oil – sunflower or light olive
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • *
  • Melted butter to serve

Method

  • In a jug or bowl mix together the water, oil and the yolks
  • Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
  • Pour in the liquid from the jug and initially use a knife to mix this into the flour and then use your hands to mix the liquid and flour to get a ball of dough.
  • Leave for around 20 -30 minutes in a cool place.
  • Turn this out onto a floured board and knead the dough for a few minutes until you have a smooth ball.
  • Cut the dough into quarters.
  • On a floured board roll out a quarter at a time until you have a sheet of thinly rolled dough.
  • Now prepare a large trays and cover them with clean tea towel sprinkle with flour.
  •  Place the sealed pierogi on this until they are all made, do not let then touch each other.
  • I cut them out using a 7 cm diameter cutter.
  • The excess dough can be re-mixed and rolled out again.
  • Around a half tablespoon of filling is put on  each circle and then they are folded over and the edges pinched together to make a good seal.
  • You learn from experience how much filling to put in as too much will make it hard to seal them and if not properly sealed they will burst on boiling. 
  • Do not worry if you have a few mishaps – it still happens to me even with experience – it is hard to salvage one that has gone wrong – just accept that there will be a few that you do not cook.
  • *
  • To cook the pierogi, use a large pan of boiling water to which you have added some salt and a drizzle of oil.
  • Drop the pierogi in one by one and allow them to boil.  I usually do about 6 to 8 at a time (I only do 6 at a time if using frozen ones). ( I often open free some of them.)
  • As they cook they will float to the surface, let them boil for 2 to 3 minutes, a bit more if they were frozen, and then remove them with a slotted spoon and put into a colander above a pan for a few seconds to drain.
  • Continue boiling batches in the same water.
  • If you want to make all the pierogi to serve together then you need to get a large shallow dish and put in the pierogi and add melted butter.
  • As you take out the cooked pierogi add them in the dish.
  • Keep the dish in a  warm oven.
  • Keep on adding more as they cook
  • Do not let them stick together – keep mixing them in the butter.
  • OPTIONS
  • Serve with melted butter or
  • Melted butter and breadcrumbs or
  • Onions fried in butter or
  • With fried bacon bits – skwarki.

Another Carrot Soup

  • This is a French recipe known as Potage à la Cressy because the best carrots are said to be grown in France in the area of Cressy.
  • There are several versions of this soup with potatoes being added in some.

Ingredients

  • 8 medium/large carrots
  • 1 head of celery
  • 2 onions
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 100g boiled ham
  • 4 grains of allspice
  • 1.5 litres of vegetable stock
  • Salt & pepper to taste 
  • Sugar – optional
  • *
  • A few chopped celery, lovage leaves or chives to garnish.

Method

  • Chop the onions into small pieces.
  • Gently fry the onions in the butter until golden.
  • Chop the celery stems into small pieces and add these to the onions.
  • Peel and chop the carrots into small circles.
  • Chop the celery into small pieces.
  • Chop the boiled ham into small pieces.
  • Place then all into a large saucepan with the stock.
  • Add the all spice.
  • Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and leave it all to simmer.
  • Place the lid on the saucepan and let the soup cook for until the carrots and celery are soft.
  • This may take over an hour.
  • Use a stick blender to purée the soup.
  • Season to taste.
  • Add a little sugar – optional.
  • *
  • Garnish with chopped leaves if available.
  • Royal Doulton Burgundy soup plates.

Pierogi with Chicken & Carrots

  • This is my 500th post – so I thought I would do a variation on a classic!
  • I have been trying out new fillings for pierogi – all with chicken – here is the first.
  • The fillings are made with cooked chicken as usual but I have found the chicken thighs make a tastier dish than chicken breast.
  • I cooked the chicken as for  rosȯł – chicken soup.
  • 5 – 6 carrots were in with the chicken.
  • You can mince the chicken and carrots but I used a mini-chopper, which gave a great smooth filling.

Ingredients

  • 200g of cooked chicken thighs – without bones or skin
  • 5-6 carrots boiled with the thighs
  • 1 tablespoon of melted butter
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Method

  • Mince or use a mini-chopper to get a smooth mixture of chicken and carrots.
  • Mix in the melted butter and egg yolk.
  • Season to taste.
  • Use the filling to make pierogi in the usual way.
  • *
  • Serve with melted butter.
  • *
  • I have added how to make pierogi – below the photographs.

  • How to make pierogi

  • Ingredients – Dough

    • 250g pasta flour or plain flour & 2 tablespoons of fine semolina
    • 150ml water
    • 1 tablespoon oil – sunflower or light olive
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 egg yolk

    Method – Dough

    • In a jug or bowl mix together the water, oil and the yolk.
    • Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
    • Pour in the liquid from the jug and initially use a knife to mix this into the flour and then use your hands to mix the liquid and flour to get a ball of dough.
    • Turn this out onto a floured board and knead the dough for a few minutes until you have a smooth ball.
    • Cover and leave to rest for about ½ an hour.
    • *
    • Cut the dough into half.
    • Prepare a large tray and cover it with a clean cotton or linen tea towel and sprinkle this with flour.
    • On a floured board roll out the dough a half at a time until you have a sheet of thinly rolled dough.
    • Cut out circles using a 7 cm diameter cutter.
    • The excess dough can be re-mixed and rolled out again.
    • Around a half tablespoon of filling is put on  each circle and then they are folded over and the edges pinched together to make a good seal.
    • You learn from experience how much filling to put in as too much will make it hard to seal them and if not properly sealed they will burst on boiling.  Do not worry if you have a few mishaps – it still happens – even with experience – it is hard to salvage one that has gone wrong – just accept that there will be a few that you do not cook.
    • Place the sealed pierogi on prepared tray until they are all made, do not let then touch each other.
    • *

    • To cook the pierogi

    • Use a large pan of boiling water to which you have added some salt and a drizzle of oil.
    • Drop the pierogi in one by one and allow them to boil.  I usually do about 5 to 6 at a time.
    • As they cook they will float to the surface, let them boil for 2 minutes and then remove them with a slotted or perforated spoon and put into a colander above a pan for a few seconds to drain and serve with melted butter.
    • Continue boiling batches in the same water.
    • If you want to make all the pierogi to serve together then you need to get a large oven proof dish.
    • Melt lots of butter in the dish.
    • Keep the dish warm in a low oven.
    • As you take out the cooked pierogi add them to the dish and coat them with the melted butter.
    • Keep on adding more as they cook.

Mixed Vegetable Sałatka – another version

  • This recipe is a slightly different take on the classic Polish mixed vegetable salad.
  • Rather than potatoes, I used boiled parsnips and carrots.
  • This is a salad you can tinker with often – depending on the ingredients you have at hand. 

Ingredients

  • 2 – 3 cooked carrots cut onto small pieces
  • 2-3 cooked parsnips cut into small pieces
  • 1-2 gherkins cut into small pieces
  • Bunch of spring onions cut into small pieces
  • 3-4 hardboiled eggs – cut into small chunks
  • 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise 
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

  • Mix all the vegetable together.
  • Add the mayonnaise and mix all together.
  • Season to taste.
  • Place in a dish.
  • Add the eggs and spring onions on top.
  • Mix together when serving.

The dish is Freiberg – Cordoflam made in East Germany.

Honeyed Carrots

  • The original recipe was for whole small young carrots and used a bunch of around 15 carrots still with their tops.
  • I tend to use medium carrots and after topping and tailing them, I cut them lengthwise to give strips of carrots, say into quarters.
  • Here the difference between the two recipes below is the additions to the honey dressing used.
  • I used some lovely Polish honey from the Mazurian lakes.
  • Both versions are delicious.

Carrots with honey and thyme

Ingredients

  • 4-5 medium to large carrots
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • Salt & Pepper

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C
  • Peel the carrots.
  • Top and tail them.
  • Cut into quarters.
  • Place the carrots on a baking sheet.
  • Pour the olive oil over them.
  • Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Roast for 20 minutes.
  • Strip the leaves from the stalks of the thyme.
  • Mix the thyme with the honey and lemon juice.
  • Pour the mixture over the carrots and roast for another 10 minutes.

Carrots with honey and orange

Ingredients

  • 4-5 medium to large carrots
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of runny honey
  • Zest and juice from a small orange
  • Salt & Pepper

    Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C
  • Peel the carrots.
  • Top and tail them.
  • Cut into quarters lengthwise.
  • Place the carrots on a baking sheet.
  • Pour the olive oil over them.
  • Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Roast for 20 minutes.
  • Mix the orange zest and juice with the honey.
  • Pour the mixture over the carrots and roast for another 10 minutes.
Thyme – Orange – Cold on Egg mayonnaise

Note

Should you have any left , chop them up and use as a topping to sandwiches or add to salads.

Keks – Carrot Fruit &Nut

This is a variation on the courgette keks – light fruit cake –  I posted a couple of years ago.

Ingredients – Cake

  • 150g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar
  • 150g of light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 100g of raisins
  • 100g of currants
  • 100g dried apricots chopped fine
  • 80g of roasted and roughly chopped hazelnuts or almonds
  • 1 large coarse grated carrot
  • 2 eggs
  • 125ml of sunflower oil

Ingredients – Lemon Icing

  • Fine grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 150g of icing sugar

Method – Cake

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 180°C
  • I used a continental style long loaf tin, greased it  and used a single sheet of grease proof paper  to line the long sides and the base.
  • Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugars and cinnamon, making sure that any lumps in the brown sugar are all pressed out.
  • Mix together the raisin, currants, nuts and the carrot.
  • Lightly whisk the eggs and oil together.
  • Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly together with a wooden spoon.
  • Add the carrot and fruit and nut mixture and mix well in.
  • Place the cake mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
  • Bake for 50 – 55 minutes – check after 40 minutes and cover the top with greaseproof or foil if browning too much before it is baked through.
  • Leave to cool before icing.

Method – Icing

  • Place the icing sugar in a bowl and add the grated lemon zest.
  • Mix in the lemon juice until you have a thick icing.
  • You might have to adjust the thickness with  more lemon juice (or water) or with icing sugar.
  • Put the icing on the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides.
  • Tea Plate – Greenway by John Russell – 1960s

Note

  • Keep in an airtight container.
  • Keep in the container for at least a day before serving.

Cabbage Carrot & Pear Salad

  • This is a variation on my usual cabbage salad.
  • Mayonnaise is not used just lemon juice as a dressing. 
  • Rather than apples I used pears for this salad.
  • Conference pears or other hard pears are good for this.
  • The pears need to be ripe but not too “mushy”.
  • I would peel the pears as the skins are often very tough.

Ingredients

  • ½ head of white cabbage
  • 3-4 hard pears
  • 2 carrots
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • *
  • Chopped flat leafed parsley or chives to serve

Method

  • Shred the cabbage into fine shreds.
  • Peel the pears and then coarse grate them.
  • Coarse grate the carrots.
  • Mix them all together.
  • Pour the lemon juice over them and mix.
  • Sprinkle with flat leaved parsley or chives.

Carrot & Sultana Salad

I usually use carrots to make a salad with apples but today I had lots of carrots and no apples so found a different salad to make.

Ingredients

  • 5 carrots
  • 80g sultanas
  • Zest and juice of 1 orange

Method

  • Grate the carrots using a coarse grater.
  • Mix with the sultanas.
  • Mix with the orange zest and juice.

This is best made around 30 minutes before it is needed.

Red Cabbage Salad

This recipe was inspired by the ones I wrote up in Red on Red! after looking at the ingredients that were in my fridge and cupboards.

Ingredients

  • ½ red cabbage
  • 4-5 carrots
  • 1 onion
  • 1-2 apples
  • *
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1-2 tablespoons of runny honey

Method

  • Grate or finely shred and chop the red cabbage.
  • Peel and coarse grate the carrots.
  • Finely chop the onion.
  • Finely chop the apple.
  • Mix all the ingredients together.
  • *
  • Mix the lime juice and honey together.
  • Mix the dressing over the salad.

Tastes good straight away and even better after a few hours.

Carrot & Thyme Soup

  • This recipe was given to me by one of my cousins that lives in Wembley.
  • It is from an old French recipe but all the ingredients can be found in England and Poland.

Ingredients

  • 400g carrots
  • 1 onion
  • 6- 8 sprigs of thyme
  • 40g rice
  • 1½ litres of chicken stock (can be from a cube or concentrate)
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  • Chop the onion into small pieces.
  • Gently fry onion in the butter till it is golden.
  • Peel the carrots and chop them into small circles.
  • Put the onion, carrots and stock into a large saucepan.
  • Strip the leaves of thyme from the stalks and add these to the pan.
  • Add the rice to the pan.
  • Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the carrots are soft.
  • Stir occasionally.
  • Purée the soup – a stick blender is good.
  • Season to taste.
Royal Doulton – Tapestry Soup Plate – 1966 – 1998