We were so excited about the AISD and JBG partnership (if you don't know what we're talking about, check out last week's blog post!), and we wanted to share in the spirit with our community, whether or not you've got kiddos in AISD. So, we asked Chef Louis Ortiz if he would share his recipe for those yummy carrots that kids across the district got to eat last week. Enjoy!

 

Hello from Louis Ortiz! Thank you for your interest in the carrot recipe and I hope that there will more to follow as we keep working with Johnson's Backyard Garden

1. 1 lb of fresh raw carrots washed, rinsed and peeled. Remove tops and root end and cut carrots into round coins (approx. 1/4 " thick)

2. Steam cut carrots for approximately 10 minutes and then chill in refrigerator immediately to stop the cooking process. You can also blanch the cut carrots in water at a medium simmer for 4-6 minutes and then remove carrots and plunge them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Both methods "tenderize" the carrots and bring out the vibrant orange color.

*While the carrots are chilling, prepare a simple syrup using 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a slow simmer. Whisk the sugar & water mixture thoroughly while it simmers so that ALL of the sugar is absorbed/dissolved, then remove from heat and set aside.

3. Heat a sautee pan to medium high and melt enough margarine or butter to coat the surface. When margarine/butter starts to bubble and froth, add chilled carrots and keep stirring/moving them in the pan. The pan and heat should be hot enough that the carrots sizzle audibly during the sautee process.

4. After sauteeing carrots for 2-3 minutes, add 1/4 tsp Salt (+) 2 tsp Herbs de Provence and stir.

5. Finish by adding 1/3 cup of the simple syrup mixture and mix thoroughly to coat and shine!