Carrots & Sweet Cranberries

During this time of year, there are so many chefs pumping out so many recipes but I decided to stick to my plan and create my very own Thanksgiving side dish recipes.  How did I come up with the idea?  A well-stocked refrigerator and pantry and some good ol' creativity.  

It's the holidays and ordinary sized, common looking carrots just will not do.  That fancy touch means so much when it comes to presentation.  I wanted to create something that complimented the bitterness of the carrot so I went with something sweet and then chose a unique herb for added flavor and garnish.  The carrots are sautéed so the tenderness and hydration are essential.  And a final drizzle of a sweet treat is like the icing on the cake.  This recipe was cooked in 15 minutes. It couldn't be more simple or delicious! See below for my recipe. 

Giving Many Thanks,

Jamie


Ingredients:

Peeled baby carrots (from your gourmet grocer)

4 tbsp sweet, dried cranberries (aka craisins)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 

1 cup vegetable stock

4 tbsp salt

4 tbsp pepper

2 large sprigs fresh dill (finely snipped with food scissors) 

1 large dill sprig reserved for garnishing

1 tbsp Vermont maple syrup

             


Directions:

In a large frying pan, heat extra virgin olive oil on low

When olive oil is warm, add your carrots, flipping them intermittently 
                                 
Add the vegetable stock, turn the flame to medium and cover (vented) to simmer and steam

After a minute, add the craisins, salt, pepper and dill


(Continue between all steps to cover/vent)

Toss and simmer until the craisins and carrots begin to caramelize, and you can easily pierce the carrots with a fork. Add additional stock when needed.

Plate and add dill sprig to the center for garnishing, and drizzle maple syrup over the top for that extra palate pleasing, lip smacking sweet touch.

                                         


Jamie Gottschall
The NYClifestylist