Restaurant fare 1

When in doubt, leave it out. And tonight I did just that.

When asked to add vinegar in an otherwise decent recipe for carrots, I refused. Why mess around with the sweetness of carrots when you can enjoy it straight from the source?

So, in an effort to compensate for the autumnal weather of the last two weeks, I plumped for carrots with thyme and garlic as a side to traditional pork chops with apples and sage in combination with new potatoes. A pub meal almost, but delicious in all its simplicity. And more importantly the younger guests (there were two today) enjoyed it too.

On the subject of carrots, I am reminded that a few years ago there was not a purple carrot to be had in this country. The organic farm at which we shop at started touting them under the not so alluring name of 'oerwortelen' or primeval carrots. This tended to elicit an odd train of thought (decent and indecent, I will admit to that) in me, which usually involved neanderthal critters in fur dresses in caves. 'Nuff said. At any rate, carrots now come in a whole range of colours which are available all around.

If you must try your hand at this o so complicated recipe, then brush and wash your carrots (clean them if the earth proves to be very reluctant about letting go), toss them in an oven dish, add thyme, pepper, salt and a good glugg of oil. Cover with foil and bung the dish in the oven. Wait a whole 30 minutes (oh, the anticipation of it all) and then uncover. At this point I always toss in some cane sugar and then wait another 10 minutes as the carrots patiently bake away.

Or how the aroma of an everyday vegetable can be enhanced by a few spices and herbs...