Warming recipes using Chantenay carrots

When the sun begins to disappear before 8pm and the post summer blues are in full swing, it’s important to have something delicious and uplifting to eat when you get home from work.

Whether you fancy a warming curry, a spicy soup or a traditional French dish, Chantenay carrots are the perfect versatile veg to add to your shopping basket.

Quick Chantenay & Cauliflower Curry (serves 4)

Ingredients:

250g Chantenay, whole & unpeeled

2 medium onions, diced

1tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets

½ jar tikka masala curry paste (we used Pataks)

1 tin chopped tomatoes

350ml boiling water

To finish:

4tbsp thick plain yoghurt (i.e. Greek yogurt)

Handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

In a large saucepan with a lid, fry the onion in the oil until soft (about 5 minutes)

Add the Chantenay and cauliflower florets, followed by the curry paste, tinned tomatoes and boiling water, giving it a good stir to mix. Bring up to boiling point and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Cover the pan and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir once or twice during cooking to make sure the vegetables cook evenly and remove the lid if the sauce needs thickening a little.

Turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt and coriander. Serve with plain rice.

Chantenay, Asian Prawn and Noodle Soup (serves 4)

Ingredients:

150g of sliced Chantenay carrots                       

1tbsp rapeseed oil                                                  

2 tsp ginger, peeled and grated                             

1tsp chilli flakes                                                           

1 green chilli, sliced                                                

1 small lemon grass stalk,                                      

(outer layers removed and finely chopped)         

2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced                          

24 tiger prawns, peeled and de-veined                          

A good dash of Thai fish sauce

4 spring onions, trimmed and cut into thin slices on the slant

150g pre-soaked rice noodles

6 shitake mushrooms, sliced

Half bunch of coriander, chopped

1 litre of good chicken stock      

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

2 limes, juiced

1 tsp sesame seed oil

Soy sauce, to serve 

Method:

Warm the oil in a pan over a medium heat.

Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, green chilli and lemon grass and cook stirring constantly for approximately 1 minute.

Then add the sliced Chantenay carrots and shitake mushrooms. Add a dash of fish sauce and cook for a further 1 minute.

Add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the noodles, prawns and spring onion and simmer for 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and lime juice and sesame oil.

Taste and adjust the seasoning, you may need to add more sweet chilli or fish sauce.

Easy Roasted Chantenay and Roots with Lemon and Thyme Chicken (serves 4)

Ingredients:

400g Chantenay carrots, scrubbed (and halved, if large)

4tbsp olive oil

Pared rind and juice of 1 lemon

3 large sprigs of thyme

4 chicken portions

2 medium parsnips, scrubbed or peeled, tailed & cut into wedges

2 medium turnips, peeled & cut into wedges

2 medium raw beetroot, peeled & cut into wedges

2 tsp brown sugar

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

Method:

First marinate the chicken. In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the rind and juice of the lemon, the leaves of a sprig of thyme and some black pepper. Add the chicken pieces and rub with the marinade. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for an hour.

An hour or so before you want to eat, preheat the oven to 200°C / Gas Mark 6.

In a bowl, toss the prepared Chantenay, parsnips, turnips and beetroot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the brown sugar, a couple of sprigs of thyme and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the vegetables to a large roasting tin (large enough to hold the vegetables comfortably in a single layer).

Place the vegetables in the preheated oven to roast for one hour, turning once or twice during cooking. Put the marinated chicken into separate roasting tin, season with salt and add to the oven for the last 40 minutes of the cooking time. The vegetables are ready when cooked through and starting to blacken around the edges; the chicken is cooked when the skin is golden brown and the juices run clear when pierced with a knife.

Serve the chicken on top of a bed of vegetables.