Take a kilo of Carrots . . . . . .

Aldi 39p/kilo Asda 60p/kilo
Morrisons 58p/kilo Sainsburys 65p/kilo
Tesco 60p/kilo Waitrose 65p/kilo

Not a lot in it so just buy wherever you are – and, of course, all the local greengrocers and farm shops always have them!

Now, you probably thought we would be doing carrot and coriander soup, any stew and carrot cake but I think we should up our game a little so today’s recipes both have a warming theme.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

1 tbsp oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 tbsp coarsely grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, sliced
500 grams of carrots
850ml vegetable stock
little nutmeg

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, ginger and garlic, and fry for 5 mins until starting to soften. Stir in the nutmeg and cook for 1 min more. Pour in the stock, add the carrots then cover and simmer for 20-25 mins until the carrots are tender. Scoop a third of the mixture into a bowl and blitz the remainder with a hand blender or in a food processor until smooth. Return everything to the pan and heat until bubbling. Serve topped with a little nutmeg.

Green Chilli Carrots with Yoghurt Rice

Chantenay carrots 250g, halved (or plain carrots, chopped)
olive oil
small green chilli (or to taste) finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
ginger grated to make 1 tsp
1/2 small bunch coriander, chopped
preserved lemon peel finely chopped (optional)
basmati rice 150g
turmeric 1/4 tsp
Greek yoghurt 2 tbsp

Boil the carrots for 5 minutes until tender, then drain. Heat a little oil and fry the chilli and shallots for a minute, then add the ginger and fry for another minute. Add the carrots, coriander and lemon peel, season and toss everything together.

Meanwhile, cook the rice and drain it. Put a splash of oil and the turmeric into the hot rice pan, add back the rice, season well and stir gently. Spoon into a bowl and add some carrots followed by a spoonful of yoghurt.

carrots