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Powerful
Carrots
A carrot (Daucus carota) is a root vegetable that belongs to the family
Apiaceae, and it is typically orange in color with a woody texture.
Carrots have a taproot, which is a straight tapering root that grows
vertically down and forms a center from which other roots sprout.The
wild ancestor of the carrot is the wildflower Wild carrot.
Carrots originally came in purple, white and yellow colours. The now
synonymous orange carrot was developed in Holland as a tribute to
William I of Orange during the Dutch fight for independence from Spain
in the 16th century.
Carrots are often eaten raw, whole or shaved into salads for
color, and are often cooked in soups and stews. One can also make
carrot cake. The greens are not generally eaten in most cultures, but
are edible. Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the
primary vegetables used in a mirepoix to make various broths.
Carrots
are nature's BEST source of the very powerful antioxidant Vitamin
A! Antioxidants protect cells
from free radicals which
can damage the basic structure of healthy cells.
Did You
Know?
BETA-CAROTENE
(the plant precursor to vitamin A) is a well-known infection fighter
that
protects the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, nose and sinuses.
It's
abundant in the dark green and vibrant orange vegetables that
make
great winter soups, tasty salads and casseroles: broccoli, squash,
pumpkin, spinach,
sweet potatoes, kale, and escarole.
The nutrients in carrots can help you to:
 strengthen the immune system
help regulate metabolism
help maintain healthy skin
help maintain vision
help protect cells
Many
studies show that the nutrients in carrots may reduce risk of...
Heart
disease
Stroke
High
blood pressure
Some types of cancer
Browse Recipes:
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Mirepoix
Mirepoix is the
French name (from the town) for a combination of
onions, carrots and celery commonly used to flavor soups , stews and
sauces, but it is not the only such combination, even in the French
culinary repertoire. They may be used in various combinations, as
dictated by the cuisine and the dish itself. Other combinations include
onions, carrots, celery (both Pascal and celeriac), leekss, parsnips,
garlic, diced ham, tomatoes, shallots, mushrooms, peppers and chilis,
and ginger are among the ingredients commonly referred to as aromatics.
Traditionally,
the ratio for mirepoix is 2:1:1, onions, celery,
carrots. Or, 50% onion, 25% carrot, and 25% celery. The ratio for
mirepoix to bones for stock is 10 pounds of bones to 1 pound of
mirepoix.
When making a white stock, or fond blanc, mushrooms or leeks
are used instead of carrots.
CARROT SOUP
Boil a pint of carrots with a piece
of butter about as large as a
walnut
and a lump of sugar until they are tender. Press through a colander and
put into a pint of boiling milk, thickened with a tablespoonful each of
butter and flour, dilute this with soup stock or chicken broth, and
just
before taking up add the yolks of two eggs well beaten and two
tablespoonfuls of cream.
PRESERVED
CARROTS
Scrape carrots clean, cut into
small pieces and boil with sufficient
cold water to cover them. Boil until tender, and put through the
colander, weigh the carrots, add white sugar pound for pound and boil
five minutes. Take off and cool. When cool add the juice of two lemons
and the grated rind of one, two tablespoonfuls of brandy and eight or
ten bitter almonds chopped fine to one pound of carrot. Stir all in
well
and put in jars.
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