I like cooked carrots, but I'm not a big fan of the overly sweet versions with brown sugar and orange juice and all that. I was delighted to try this recipe, which pairs carrots with sage—a combination that would never have occurred to me. It really works, especially if you can get big, gorgeous sage leaves like these. I should have included a coin or something in the photo for scale; each leaf was a couple of inches long! This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Braised Carrots with Crisp Sage
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
20 fresh sage leaves, rinsed and thoroughly dried
2 lb carrots, cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch-long pieces
1 cup chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/4 cup minced onion (1 small)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Heat oil in a 12-inch straight-sided heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then fry sage leaves, stirring, until just crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
Add carrots to oil in skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, until carrots are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove lid and boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve carrots sprinkled with sage leaves.
I have a sage harvest I need to do something with.
I never would have tried sage with carrots, but I will now.
Posted by: JP | October 23, 2006 at 12:08 AM