Have you noticed how carrots lose much of their flavour and colour to the water they are boiled in? This aim in this recipe is not just to reduce that loss, but reverse it. Carrots cooked in carrot juice and not much of it result in a super-charged side. I also add a little cold butter at the end, which helps provide a silky sheen.
Glazed roast ham, gammon steaks or slow-cooked meats like beef shin, ox or pig cheeks are especially grateful for these carrots. You could juice your own, but shop-bought cartons are fine, provided they’re not from concentrate.
Ingredients
- 600 g carrots
- 200 ml carrot juice
- 2 star anise
- 20 g cold butter, diced
- Leaves from 5 or 6 stems flat-leaf parsley or chervil, roughly chopped
- Sea salt
How to Make It
- Slice the carrots into 2–3 cm-long pieces on an angle. Put them in a medium saucepan and pour the carrot juice in. It won’t cover the carrots, which is fine. Add the star anise and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 12–15 minutes, turning the carrots occasionally so they all spend some time submerged under carrot juice (the rest of them will steam). The carrots are ready when you can push a fork through (though still with a fair bit of resistance).
- Remove the star anise and tip some of the liquid out of the pan so there’s just 3–4 tablespoons left. Add the butter, return the pan to the heat and stir until the butter melts and the carrots are glossy. Check for seasoning and add salt if required. Throw in the parsley or chervil and mix well. They’re best served immediately.
