Herbed Balsamic & Honey Carrots

Vegetable markets have always been a source of inspiration. As I saunter through the colourful alleys of greens, reds and yellows, hundreds of ideas flood my mind and I end up buying more than required! My domestic help prefers that I do not go to the vegetable market 🙂 

Last morning was no different. But this time one peculiar thing caught my eye. In one of the stalls, along with the exotic regular veggies ( sounds such an oxymoron isn’t it?)  like broccoli, bell peppers, salad greens etc, from the basket popped out vibrant orange baby carrots with bright green tops! Carrots are very easily available, but baby carrots are very rarely available in Pune, unless they grow on your farm. They looked irresistible and I had to pick them up! Here is a side dish I came up with.

Ingredients

  1. Baby Carrots – 10-12
  2. Balsamic Vinegar – 2 tbsp
  3. Honey – 1 tbsp
  4. Salt to taste
  5. Pepper – 1/2 tsp
  6. Dried Mixed herbs 1 tsp
  7. Chilli flakes – 1/2 tsp
  8. Lemon Zest –  a pinch
  9. Oil – 1 tbsp
  10. Lettuce leaves
  11. Garlic cloves chopped 2-3

Do it this way :

  1. Remove the tops and wash the baby carrots.
  2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the carrots to the oil. Add all the ingredients and toss the carrots to coat. Adjust the sweet and sour balance and salt to taste. Let the carrots cook for a few minutes till slightly tender yet al dente. Serve on  bed of lettuce leaves of your choice.

The balsamic vinegar adds that fruitiness and sourness to the sweet carrots. Along with the honey, it creates a nice glaze for the carrots.  I had some boiled broccoli florets which I tossed in the above glaze and they also tasted absolutely delicious. Garlic powder can also be used instead of fresh garlic. Fresh herbs like oregano and thyme can also be used in place of dried herbs. Due to the small size of the carrots, they cook up pretty fast. So just make this interesting side dish just few minutes before the serving time.

Easy-Peasy Brownies!!!

Eat them warm or cold, eat them iced or plain, eat them with chocolate chips or nuts, eat them with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, eat them when you are sad or happy, brownies make you happy every single time you eat them!  I am yet to meet someone who hates brownies! 

Every baker has his or her version of making these ambrosial chocolate treats!  I am sharing a very easy-peasy recipe of brownie using cocoa powder. Not only can this recipe be made quickly but it is also literally a single bowl kinda recipe. I often bake it to satiate my late night sweet cravings ! Here you go: Continue reading “Easy-Peasy Brownies!!!”

Strawberry Cobbler

Fruit desserts have always been my favourite, especially if that fruit is in season! I always wait eagerly for the strawberry season. One of the many perks of being in Pune is the proximity to Mahabaleshwar, which accounts for nearly 75- 85% of strawberries produced in India. Pune gets fresh supply of these red beauties daily. 

This tart fruit was introduced to India by the British. Mahabaleshwar was developed as a hill station during the British Raj and was the summer capital of Bombay Presidency. The cool climate and red soil benefitted the growth of strawberries here and hence this entire Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar belt is now famous for the production of strawberry along with other berries like mulberry, gooseberry and raspberry.  Mapro, Mala and Manama have set up their big centres for manufacturing of preserves, jams, toppings, crushes etc., in the vicinity. Continue reading “Strawberry Cobbler”