Donna Walsifer
easy and quick
I had two pounds of carrots in my refrigerator that needed to be used. I went to one of my favorite sources, The New York Times Cooking website/app and found an easy recipe by Martha Rose Shulman for Roasted Carrots with Parsley and Thyme. Lucky for me, I have these two herbs growing in my garden.
Besides the carrots and herbs, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. To make clean up easy, the sheet pan is lined with foil. The carrots are peeled and cut into 2” long planks and then into wide matchsticks. I placed them on the sheet pan, drizzled them with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and the chopped thyme. Using my hands, I mixed all the ingredients and made an even layer on the pan. The carrots roasted for 30 minutes at 400° and then additional 10 to 15 minutes at 375° until tender. Just before serving you adjust the seasoning and add finely chopped parsley over the carrots.
Besides the carrots and herbs, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. To make clean up easy, the sheet pan is lined with foil. The carrots are peeled and cut into 2” long planks and then into wide matchsticks. I placed them on the sheet pan, drizzled them with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and the chopped thyme. Using my hands, I mixed all the ingredients and made an even layer on the pan. The carrots roasted for 30 minutes at 400° and then additional 10 to 15 minutes at 375° until tender. Just before serving you adjust the seasoning and add finely chopped parsley over the carrots.
The carrots came out scrumptious! Roasting brings out the natural sugars of the carrots and the herbs add a wonderful, delicate flavor.
I had my son and daughter-in-law for dinner on Saturday evening. I made some old favorites that haven’t been in our dinner mix in a while. I made spice-rubbed grilled flank steak, a recipe from Gourmet Magazine, August 2001. The meat has a spicy dry rubbed that can be done up to two days of ahead of cooking. I also made my son’s favorite pasta salad, tri-colored fusilli with shrimp and roasted peppers, but without the shrimp. This recipe is from Buon Appétit Magazine, August 1984. I love this recipe as the dressing uses white wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. It has better flavor than bottled Italian dressing.
My daughter-in-law loves strawberry shortcake. I picked up a 2 pound container of beautiful red strawberries at Wegmans and brought out an old recipe I had from Gourmet Magazine May 1996 for “Individual Spongecakes (part of a recipe for Minted Berry Spongecakes).” These easy to make mini cakes need 2 eggs, sugar, flour, cornstarch, unsalted butter and are made in a muffin pan. It took approximately 45 minutes to make my own light and fluffy spongecakes as a base for my shortcakes. For the whipped cream, I used heavy whipping cream, a tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla to flavor the cream. The berries were sliced ahead of time and tossed with a teaspoon of sugar. For serving I placed the cake in a small rimmed dessert dish, a dollop or two of cream, topped with fresh strawberries and another scoop of cream…delicious!
I had my son and daughter-in-law for dinner on Saturday evening. I made some old favorites that haven’t been in our dinner mix in a while. I made spice-rubbed grilled flank steak, a recipe from Gourmet Magazine, August 2001. The meat has a spicy dry rubbed that can be done up to two days of ahead of cooking. I also made my son’s favorite pasta salad, tri-colored fusilli with shrimp and roasted peppers, but without the shrimp. This recipe is from Buon Appétit Magazine, August 1984. I love this recipe as the dressing uses white wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. It has better flavor than bottled Italian dressing.
My daughter-in-law loves strawberry shortcake. I picked up a 2 pound container of beautiful red strawberries at Wegmans and brought out an old recipe I had from Gourmet Magazine May 1996 for “Individual Spongecakes (part of a recipe for Minted Berry Spongecakes).” These easy to make mini cakes need 2 eggs, sugar, flour, cornstarch, unsalted butter and are made in a muffin pan. It took approximately 45 minutes to make my own light and fluffy spongecakes as a base for my shortcakes. For the whipped cream, I used heavy whipping cream, a tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla to flavor the cream. The berries were sliced ahead of time and tossed with a teaspoon of sugar. For serving I placed the cake in a small rimmed dessert dish, a dollop or two of cream, topped with fresh strawberries and another scoop of cream…delicious!
Roasted Carrots with Parsley and Thyme
MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
Featured in: Carrots: Digging Deeper For Fall Flavor
Also appeared in The New York Times/Recipes for Health
November 8, 2010
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds carrots, peeled quartered or cut into sixths lengthwise depending on the size, then into 2-inch lengths
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
½ teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
PREPARATION
Advance preparation: These will keep for four to five days in the refrigerator.
*Donna’s suggestion – one of the comments a reader submitted was to line a sheet pan with foil. I did this and it made cleanup a lot quicker.
MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
Featured in: Carrots: Digging Deeper For Fall Flavor
Also appeared in The New York Times/Recipes for Health
November 8, 2010
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds carrots, peeled quartered or cut into sixths lengthwise depending on the size, then into 2-inch lengths
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
½ teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a sheet pan or a baking dish large enough to fit all of the carrots in a single layer.* Place the carrots in a large bowl, and toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano.
- Spread in an even layer in the prepared pan or baking dish. Cover with foil, and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover, and if the carrots are not yet tender, turn the heat down to 375 degrees and return to the oven for 10 to 15 more minutes until tender. Add the parsley, stir gently, and taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Advance preparation: These will keep for four to five days in the refrigerator.
*Donna’s suggestion – one of the comments a reader submitted was to line a sheet pan with foil. I did this and it made cleanup a lot quicker.
Minted Berry Spongecakes
Gourmet Magazine MAY 1996
YIELD: Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves, washed well and spun dry
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 pint strawberries, hulled and, depending on size, halved or quartered
1/2 pint blackberries or black or red raspberries, picked over
6 Individual Spongecakes
6 tablespoons sour cream
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs
PREPARATION
In a small saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add mint and simmer 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and with a wooden spoon crush mint against bottom and side of pan. Let syrup stand, covered, 20 minutes and pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on mint.
Add lemon juice and berries to syrup. Let berry mixture stand at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours to blend flavors.
Peel off paper liners from spongecakes and halve horizontally. Put spongecake bottoms on 6 plates and spoon berry mixture over them. Divide sour cream among spongecakes and arrange spongecake tops on desserts.
Garnish desserts with mint.
Individual Spongecakes
Gourmet Magazine May 1996
This recipe was created to accompany Minted Berry Spongecakes. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Yield: 9 spongecakes
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Preheat oven to 350° F and line nine ½-inch muffin tins with paper liners.
In a double boiler, or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, whisk together eggs and sugar until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and with a hand-held electric mixer, beat mixture at moderately high speed until doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.
Sift flour, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt over egg mixture and fold in gently, but thoroughly. Drizzle butter over batter and fold in gently, but thoroughly.
Divide batter among muffin tins and bake in middle of oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool spongecakes in tins on a rack 10 minutes. Remove spongecakes from tins and cool completely on rack. Spongecakes may be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Gourmet Magazine MAY 1996
YIELD: Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves, washed well and spun dry
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 pint strawberries, hulled and, depending on size, halved or quartered
1/2 pint blackberries or black or red raspberries, picked over
6 Individual Spongecakes
6 tablespoons sour cream
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs
PREPARATION
In a small saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add mint and simmer 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and with a wooden spoon crush mint against bottom and side of pan. Let syrup stand, covered, 20 minutes and pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on mint.
Add lemon juice and berries to syrup. Let berry mixture stand at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours to blend flavors.
Peel off paper liners from spongecakes and halve horizontally. Put spongecake bottoms on 6 plates and spoon berry mixture over them. Divide sour cream among spongecakes and arrange spongecake tops on desserts.
Garnish desserts with mint.
Individual Spongecakes
Gourmet Magazine May 1996
This recipe was created to accompany Minted Berry Spongecakes. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Yield: 9 spongecakes
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Preheat oven to 350° F and line nine ½-inch muffin tins with paper liners.
In a double boiler, or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, whisk together eggs and sugar until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and with a hand-held electric mixer, beat mixture at moderately high speed until doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.
Sift flour, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt over egg mixture and fold in gently, but thoroughly. Drizzle butter over batter and fold in gently, but thoroughly.
Divide batter among muffin tins and bake in middle of oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool spongecakes in tins on a rack 10 minutes. Remove spongecakes from tins and cool completely on rack. Spongecakes may be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.