Glazed carrots: two variations

Carrots in their different varieties make a great side-dish. They are easy to make and most people like them. Simple boiled carrots are of course a total no-go, but glazed with a bit of butter or, in the more interesting version, with chili and ginger, they are the perfect accompaniment for meat and fish dishes. 

Glazed carrots...the simple way



Ingredients

500gr carotts
2 tbs Butter
300ml vegetable stock
1 tsp sugar


Preparation:

1. Peel the carrots and cut them into regular sticks (I usually cut them in half and then quarter them lengthwise). 

2. Place the carrots in a deep pan (it should be large enough for the carrots to be spread quite evenly) and add enough stock to just cover them. Add a bit of salt, a tablespoon of butter, the sugar and bring to the boil. 

3. All you now need to do is wait until the liquid has boiled off. This should take about 20mins, by which time the carrots will be tender and you only need to add another piece of butter and a bit of black pepper to finish them.




Chili-Ginger Glazed Carrots

This recipe was published by a German cook called Tim Mälzer (the German Jamie Oliver) and served to us at a dinner party by my friend Alex. It is similar to the recipe above, but the chili and ginger give these carrots an additional twist. 

Ingredients:

500gr carrots
1 red chili
1 clove of garlic
20gr fresh ginger
250ml vegetable stock
Butter

Preparation:

1. The carrots are peeled and cut into sticks, same as above. The chili is sliced finely, the same goes for the garlic and the ginger. 

2.  Heat a bit of olive oil in a deep pan and fry the carrot sticks over high heat for about 5min. Add the garlic, chili, and ginger, and fry for another minute before adding the stock. 

3. Let the stock boil away (which should take about 10-12 min) before adding salt, pepper and a bit of butter.