Very little effort is required for this dish to earn the fancy French name of Carottes aux Fines Herbes (Braised Carrots with Herbs) and to make a nice, fresh vegetable side dish. It was straightforward enough that I didn't even end up doing anything dangerous or disasterous while preparing these!
Four ingredients are all this took. Okay, if you want to get technical it also has some water but I'm not considering that as an ingredient you'd need to go out to the store to purchase. If you happen to live in Death Valley and have not water then you probably also have no carrots available. What I needed, in addition to water, was 1 1/2 pounds of carrots, 2 tablespoons of butter, and two tablespoons (I used a bit more) of fresh parsley.
First I peeled and sliced the carrots. Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy peeling carrots? Unlike potatoes, carrots are relatively smooth and straight and really easy to peel It is almost therapeutic and, if you've had a rough day, a lot less expensive way to relax than hiring a masseuse. But I digress...the carrots were peeled and then sliced. After that they went into a pan with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water. I followed Julia's recipe but next time I'd reduce the water to 1 cup. The carrots need to cook until the water evaporates but they were the softness we like before the water was gone.
After 30 minutes the carrots were done and chopped fresh parsley and 2 tablespoons of softened butter were mixed in. You can add some salt and pepper to taste if you'd like (but then the ingredient list will increase by two). That's it! Simple, right?
The last step is transferring everything into a bowl and serving it to your family or guests in exchange for thunderous applause. Actually, it was just Elizabeth and I but she did say thank you and that it tasted good. Still, it was a nice and easy way to prepare and enjoy some carrots with dinner!
Bon appetit!
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