A bright and scrumptious way to dish up carrots shimmering in butter and dazzling green parsley
A Chantenay carrot (see notes) is a small, sweet variety of carrot with a crisp, orange flesh and a sweet texture and are one of our favourite varieties of carrot, just steam or boil them sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper a little salt and butter or honey serve them in a plain white dish and there you have them a dish of gleaming orange jewels, perfect for the Christmas dinner table.
Serves / Makes: 6 servings
Prep-Time: 5 minutes
Cook-Time: 12 minutes
You Will Need
900 grams, Chantenay carrots, peeled or scraped. You can use baby carrots if you can’t get Chantenay
3 tablespoons, butter
2 tablespoons, freshly chopped parsley, or you can use mint, lemon balm, or lemon thyme, freshly chopped
1 pinch, sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
Place the carrots in a heavy saucepan and barely cover with water. Add the butter and cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for 12 minutes or until the carrots are still firm but easy to pierce with a fork. Remove the cover and reduce down until the liquid has evaporated and the carrots are coated with butter. Watch them carefully or they will burn, add the chopped herbs, and season with salt and pepper.
Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
As the name suggests, the Chantenay carrot originated from the Chantenay region of France. Early references to the Chantenay carrot can be found back in the mid 1800's where it was used in medicine.
As food, production became more organised after the war there was a rise in the popularity of Chantenay carrots. This peaked in the 60's but the Chantenay fell out of favour as the market place developed and food production became increasingly mechanised.
Production of Chantenay for the fresh market almost ceased in the 1970's although Chantenay remained a favourite with the canned carrot market due to their sweetness and size.
Chantenay carrots have recently been revived in the UK, having not been available in this country since the 1960s. They are crisp, sweet and have a pronounced 'carroty' flavour.
The Chantenay carrot is a natural product that can be tricky to grow but it is its very ‘naturalness’, which gives it its flavour and results in carrots that taste 'as carrots used to taste'. Chantenay carrots are perfect for everyone, no need to peel, quick and easy to cook and they taste delicious, perfect straight from the fridge for an easy snack with dips.
