honey roasted carrots + pistachio gremolata
also, how the farm steamrolled me this week.
Maybe one day I’ll learn my lesson, and I’ll stop making promises in January that are impossible for me to keep in May.
Every winter (a season that, for farmers at least, is filled with relative calm and rest and lots of big ideas), I optimistically pack my spring / summer / fall calendar with events and classes and commitments that sound absolutely fantastic and totally do-able.
Then spring happens. Once the farm gets really rolling in March, it’s like a steam engine that does. not. stop. and it will roll over you (and everyone you love) if you aren’t careful.
And this was the week that the farm completely steamrolled me. After one too many weeks with a packed schedule of juggling the farm, getting our CSA boxes out the door, teaching back to back cooking classes, chasing around our *very* energetic toddler, and trying to keep our home from descending into chaos… my body finally refused to cooperate. I don’t get sick often, but when I do, my body completely shuts down.
I finally feel like I’m coming out the other side, but this week has been a (rather rude) reminder that while I’m still relatively young and spritely, I straight-up do not have the capacity to accomplish the same things that I could ten years ago. And I’m coming around to the fact that THAT IS OKAY.
And you know what is also okay? ASKING FOR HELP. I’ve had to ask many friends and neighbors and family for extra help this week, and I felt incredibly vulnerable and uncomfortable while doing it… but people SHOWED UP in a real way and I am so grateful.
Running a farm takes a village, raising a kid takes a village… heck, LIFE IN GENERAL just takes a village. We aren’t meant to do any of this alone, and thank goodness for that.
(Okay, thanks for sticking around for my TED talk… keep scrolling for this week’s recipe, Honey Roasted Carrots with Pistachio Gremolata!)
If you made it through the first part of this week’s newsletter (bless you!), then you know I’ve been under the weather this week, and haven’t really felt like cooking. So in case you *also* don’t feel like cooking, but you still want to eat something delicious and beautiful (with the absolute minimum effort), then this recipe is right up your alley.
I was inspired by carrots, as we are *just* starting to pull the first of our spring carrots out of the ground, and DANG they are so freaking good. When you cook with super fresh, high quality ingredients, you really don’t need to do much to make them delicious. In fact, I think the LESS you do, the better.
So this recipe is super simple, but it perfectly highlights the natural sweetness of spring carrots by quickly roasting them in the oven with a bit of olive oil and honey, then make it all *pop* with a super fresh, bright, and crunchy gremolata.
See below for the full recipe, along with a 1-page PDF for easy printing.
Honey Roasted Carrots with Pistachio Gremolata
INGREDIENTS
For the carrots
1.5 - 2lbs carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pistachio Gremolata
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley (or you can use carrot tops if you have them)
1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios
1 clove of garlic, minced (about 1 tsp minced)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 400F and *line a rimmed baking tray with foil.*
Wash your carrots and cut them in half lengthwise (you can certainly peel the carrots, but you don’t have to). Place carrots in a single layer on the foil-lined baking tray.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, and salt + pepper to taste.
Pour the olive oil and honey mixture over the carrots directly on the rimmed baking tray and toss to coat.
Put the baking tray in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the carrots are very tender and beginning to brown, making sure to flip the carrots 2-3 times throughout cooking (honey can burn quickly, so be sure to watch them). Roasting time will vary depending on the size of the carrots.
While the carrots are roasting, make the gremolata. Mix the finely chopped parsley (and/or carrot tops, if using), chopped pistachios, minced garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt + pepper together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. You want it to taste fresh, bright, and a bit punchy!
When the carrots have finished roasting, allow to cool for a few minutes then taste and add additional salt / pepper if needed. Transfer carrots to a serving platter and top with the gremolata and serve warm.
PRO TIP: If you purchase carrots with the tops still on, make sure to remove the greens as soon as you get home (and store them in a bag in your refrigerator). The tops pull moisture from the roots, so if they’re left on you’ll end up with sad, floppy carrots – which no one wants!
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