Fancy Veg – Carrots Glazed with Marsala

When I sat down to write this post, I realized that despite having eaten my fair share of carrots in my life, I know relatively little about them. I decided to do some research. It turns out there are four main types of carrots; Imperators, Nantes, Danvers and Chantenay, which are determined by the size and the depth that carrots grow. Carrots also come in various shapes and sizes; from the long, taper like shape that most of us are familiar with to completely round balls. You may also see their glory in shades of orange, white, yellow, purple and the very rare black. Wow…a whole new world of carrots for me.

Now, here is a recipe that is guaranteed to be wonderful with any shape or size of carrots that you choose. It is my favourite combination of elegant and easy.

Carrots Glazed with Marsala

• 2 bunches of whatever type of carrot you like, washed and sliced on the diagonal
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/3 c. marsala
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• large pinch of kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

1) Melt your butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. When is beginning to bubble a bit, add your carrots and toss them around in the pan a bit to make sure they are getting coated. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes.

2) Add the brown sugar to the pan and again, give a good stir. You can also add a pinch of coarse salt here as well. When the brown sugar has melted, add the marsala. Take a deep breath and smell the goodness coming from the pan as the alcohol evaprorates…yummmmm.

3) Now add 1-3 of a cup of water (you want the water to come up about half way up your layer of carrots). Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until your carrots are almost fork tender.

4) Remove the lid and cook for another few minutes…your sauce should be quite thick now, sort of like a syrup. Stir in your parsley, if you are choosing to use it.

5) Serve hot and delicious!

Enjoy!