Oh, carrots. They are such a reliable and safe vegetable, like the sedan of the vegetable world. They make their way into the brown paper lunch bags of countless school children across the country. Onto crudités platters at corporate meetings and dinner parties. They get glazed with some sweetness for holiday meals. If they’re really lucky they get turned into a carrot cake to celebrate a special day. And in every incarnation they are consistently good.
I love carrots, they are nutritious and delicious but I would never call them exciting. And perhaps that is their appeal, but I still find myself attracted to recipes that take them out of their comfort zone. This recipe does just that. Caraway seeds and red grapes mingle with the lightly sweetened coins of carrot. It is an appealing side dish and super easy to put together. Sometimes you need to do a little something extra to make an ordinary carrot into a special part of the meal.
Carrots with Caraway and Grapes (adapted from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose)
- 6 medium carrots, peeled and 1/8-inch sliced on the diagonal
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup halved black or red seedless grapes
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until slightly tender, about 4 minutes. Drain well.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the carrots, carawy seeds, ginger, mustard, salt and brown sugar.
Cook and stir for 6 to 8 minutes, until the carrots are fully cooked and glazed. Toss grapes into skillet during last minute of cooking. Serve hot.
elizabeth says:
April 14th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Hmmmm. I cannot say that I love carrots, but I’m slowly coming around to them. I like them roasted, but then again, who doesn’t like anything roasted? This recipe will be filed away for that time that I become more enamoured of this veggie and want to branch out, as it’s certainly intriguing.
The photos, as always, are gorgeous!
anya says:
April 15th, 2009 at 4:11 am
I love carrots – their crunchiness when plain, their pronounced sweetness when cooked – so I’m definitely making them with caraway and grapes! Thanks!
Sivan says:
April 15th, 2009 at 8:08 am
wow, you have totally stumped me on this one. sounds interesting, never would have thought to put these ingredients together. ill have to try it!! would be a great addition to a picnic alongside roasted chicken salad. mmm. or served with braised meat. oh man, this is a great side!
Hayley says:
April 15th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Carrots are always a safe go-to, but I’ve never thought to add grapes. I made roasted fennel and carrots on Easter, and I bet grapes would have been delicious thrown in. Thanks for the idea!
Tim says:
April 15th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Yeah, it is an unusual combination but it work well. Let me know if any of you guys try this, I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
unconfidentialcook.com says:
April 15th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I love sweet carrots, and often make them with pistachios. Love the grapes.
Jesse says:
April 16th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
I just had a carrot soup recently with both whole caraway seeds and whole cumin seeds in it. An intriguing combination… actually, crazy delicious, so I can only imagine that this is amazing!
Daily Spud says:
April 20th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Hmm, carrots and caraway, I am intrigued. I’m a big fan of caraway and love it with stir-fried cabbage, I see that I’ll have to try it with carrots sometime…
LJ says:
April 23rd, 2009 at 12:40 am
Made this last night and loved it – delicious!
Michael says:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I made this tonight for a group of friends. And they were both surprised and pleased. I substituted caraway seeds with anise seeds, and it turned was quite enjoyable. Delicious.
Megan says:
July 8th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Made this tonight for a potluck. The flavour combination was amazing! The only thing I’d change is to add less sugar, as I found it a bit sweet. I also was a bit more liberal with my caraway. Thanks for the new, unique recipe!
kaarina says:
December 6th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
love this recipe! definitely going to be using this again when I grow my carrots this spring!! going to try it with some dragon carrots, which are purple! a purple dish… amazing. thanks.