Greenmarket Recipe: Glazed Carrots

Glazed Carrots

The recipe below is a classic French preparation for fresh vegetables called l’etuve. By placing a parchment paper lid over the vegetables, steam is held against the carrots as they cook, which keeps the temperature very even. The carrots retain a lot of their original sweetness when prepared this way, and the glaze that results from cooking off the excess water makes excellent use of a small amount of butter.

Though many recipes call for peeling carrots to avoid bitterness, it is not necessary to peel very young carrots that were recently harvested.

Glazed Carrots

½ lb young carrots

1 T butter

salt to taste

water

1. Cut carrots into 1 inch lengths. If the carrot is a very thick at the stem end, slice this portion of the carrot in half before cutting into lengths.
   
2. Make a lid from a sheet of parchment paper by folding the paper into halves, then quarters, then folding back and forth to make a fan shape. Snip the broad ends and the tip of the parchment. This should create a round with a small hole in the center.
   
3. Put butter, salt, and carrots into a sauté pan, and add a small amount of water until it reaches half the height of the carrots.
   
4. Cover with the parchment lid and heat over low heat, leaving the parchment lid undisturbed.
   
5. When water is evaporated, remove parchment paper and remove pan from heat. Carrots should be softened but still firm to the bite and not mushy. Makes four side servings.