Did You Know?

Perfect Partners in Life and on the Plate!

As the dust settles around Westminster Abbey and the Wales look forward to married life in Anglesey the world turns its eyes to the next round of happy couples who have found their perfect partners and plan to marry in 2011:  Kate Moss and Jamie Hince, Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall or Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson.  In recognition of the great institutions of love and marriage, the British Carrot Growers’ Association has developed a range of recipes that celebrate perfect partnerships between the humble carrot and some ingredients that mirror the relationships of other famous couples. Isn’t it fortunate the carrot does not have to be monogamous!

The Russell and Perry Salad – Slaw salad with mango and chilli dedicated to Russell Brand and lady wife, Kate Perry as it’s a little bit fruity with a hint of spice!

The Urban Nicole Soup – a delicious smooth carrot and ginger soup that reflects the smooth country twang of Keith Urban and the original Aussie redhead, Nicole Kidman

Coleen and Wayne Curry – this Lemony Carrot Dahl represents the sweet and sour relationship of this footballing couple, who, despite past troubles are inextricably mixed and difficult to separate!

Classic Kate and Wills – the sweet yet classic combination of honey and thyme roasted carrots sums up the relationship of the newly- weds with the sweetness of Kate counterbalanced by the more classic taste of thyme and age old traditions of Prince William’s upbringing

Carrots are the perfect partner for all kinds of ingredients and what’s more they’re extremely good for you.  Carrots are packed with beta-carotene which is converted into vitamin A by the body.  This vitamin is essential for growth, healthy bones, teeth, hair and skin, for an effective immune system as well as good vision.   Research* has shown that many of us have lower levels of vitamin A intakes than is ideally necessary.   But an 80g serving of cooked carrot – that’s just half a medium sized carrot – contains more than twice the recommended daily amount of vitamin A equivalent needed by adults.  It really couldn’t be easier to eat yourself healthier with carrots.

They’re also low in calories, low in fat and saturates, naturally low in salt but high in fibre making them the perfect snack to crunch on when you’re watching your weight or that of your children.  The beta-carotene, when converted into Vitamin A, is an important nutrient for eye health – a lack of it can cause blindness – and because beta-carotene is an important antioxidant, eating carrots helps to keep your skin healthy and elastic.

Carrots are incredibly versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked.  The great thing with carrots is that research published in the European Journal of Nutrition⁴ showed that more beta-carotene is absorbed from cooked, puréed carrots than from raw ones In addition, research from Ohio State University in America⁵ has found that more beta-carotene is absorbed when a fresh salad (containing carrots) is eaten with a full-fat salad dressing compared with a fat-free salad dressing as the oil actually helps to absorb the beta-carotene.   So for once it’s ok to add that dollop of Mayo!

The Russell and Perry Salad (serves 4)

Preparation time: 10mins Cooking time: 2mins Serves: 4
NutritionPer serving: 258 calories, 16.4g fat, 2.2g saturates, 14.2g sugars, 0.2g salt

1tbsp sunflower oil
3tbsp sunflower seeds
4tbsp pumpkin seeds
225g white cabbage, cored and finely shredded
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1 firm medium mango, peeled, stoned and coarsely grated
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
140g bag watercress, spinach and rocket salad
Juice of 1/2 lime
2tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
salt and freshy ground pepper

This delicious salad has plenty of crunch and is packed with vitamins and minerals thanks to its tasty combination of nutritious carrots, mango, leaves and seeds.

Heat 1tsp of the oil in a frying pan. Add the sunflower and pumpkin seeds and stir fry for 1min or until they are pale golden. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Place the cabbage, carrot, mango, chilli and salad leaves in a bowl. Add the toasted seeds.

Add the lime juice and coriander to the remaining oil and season to taste. Add to the bowl of salad ingredients and toss well to mix. Serve immediately.

The Urban Nicole Soup
This soup freezes well, the carrots give the soup a lovely sweetness, so children really like it. Good for part of the 5-a-day! It is quite a filling soup, so you could serve it for lunch as a snack meal with cheese and fruit afterwards.

Ingredients (serves 4)
Carrot and Ginger Soup:
600g of carrots peeled and chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp medium curry powder
1 1/2 litres good stock, chicken or vegetable
Sea salt and black pepper
Pared rind of one lemon

Lemon herb cream:
1 x 200g crème fraîche
finely grated rind of one lemon
2 tsp chopped parsley
2 tsp chopped chives

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onions and carrots, cook for several minutes, stirring from time to time. Do not brown the vegetables. Then add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook for a further minute.

Add the stock and lemon strips to the pan, half cover the pan with its lid, and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the carrots are tender.

Cool slightly, then liquidise the soup until smooth. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper. Reheat to serve.

To make the cream:
Stir all the ingredients together gently, or the crème fraîche will go runny, and then spoon a dollop into the middle of each bowl of soup, garnish with chives or parsley if you wish. Serve with wholemeal crusty bread.

Coleen and Wayne Curry
Preparation: 10mins Cooking: 30-35mins Price per portion: 36p
Per serving: 312 calories, 8.1g fat, 0.8g saturates, 14.3g sugars, 0.97g salt
Contains a over a third of your RDA of iron and counts for 3 of your 5-A-DAY

Ingredients (serves 4)
30ml/2tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
450g/1lb carrots, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
2.5cm/1in piece root ginger, peeled and chopped
225g/8oz split red lentils
15ml/1tbsp medium curry paste
zest and juice 2 lemons
1.15ltr/2pts vegetable stock
30ml/2tbsp chopped fresh coriander
salt and freshly ground black pepper
coriander to garnish
rice and/or naan bread to serve

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and carrots and sauté for 3-4mins. Add the garlic, chilli, ginger and sauté for 1min.

Stir in the lentils, curry paste, lemon zest and juice and stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 25-30mins or until the carrots are tender and the lentils have broken down. Remove from the heat, stir in the coriander and season to taste. Serve hot with rice and naan bread.

Classic Kate and Wills
When you’ve got the oven on for a roast, why not pop the carrots in too? Roasted they have a wonderfully sweet, dense flavour and smooth velvety texture. Kids will particularly love them.

Prep time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes Price per portion: 16p
Per serving: 76 calories, 3.1g fat, 0.4 saturates, 11.3g sugars, 0.07g salt

Ingredients (serves 4)
450g/1lb carrots, washed and trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few fresh thyme leaves or pinch of dried

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C/400F/Gas 6. Cut the carrots into thick batons – try and make them similar sizes and then they will cook evenly. Place in a roasting tin, add the oil, honey and lemon juice and seasoning and toss well to mix.

Roast the carrots for 20-25mins, stirring halfway through this time, until the carrots are golden and tender. Scatter over the herbs and serve warm.

For more recipe inspiration and carrot health tips visit www.britishcarrots.co.uk.

References:
¹ National Diet and Nutrition Survey:  Young People Aged 4-18 Years. 2000.
² National Diet and Nutrition Survey: Adults Aged 19-64 Years. Volume 2, 2003
³ Mintel May 2001
⁴ European Journal of Nutrition, Volume 42, Number 6, 2003.
⁵ American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 80, Number 2, 2004.

Nutrition information is based on McCance and Widdowson, The Composition of Foods, 6^th Edition.  Values are for ‘old carrots, boiled in unsalted water’.