Tasty but no night vision

Unquestionably underrated, carrots are one of hell of a versatile food. Whether used in cakes, stews or just eaten raw they are full of flavour and very good for you too. I use them a lot, mainly because Able & Cole keep relentlessly delivering the damn things to me each week but that's no problem as here is a ridiculously easy Italian side dish that I will never get bored of. My mum makes the best version but no matter how many times I make it it never tastes the same.

Enough for 4

10 carrots
2 cloves of garlic (or 1 large one)
2 tbsps of white wine vinegar
olive oil
a handful of flat-leaf parsley
salt & pepper
crushed fennel seeds (optional)

First bring a pan of water to the boil. Peel the carrots, slice in half lengthways, then slice each half into diagonal strips and chuck into the pan. Simmer for 8 mins or until tender but still with some bite.

Slice your garlic razor thin (seriously, do it as thin as you possibly can like Paulie in the jail scene of Goodfellas) unless you really like chunks of raw garlic!

Drain the carrots, tip into a bowl and whilst still hot add the garlic, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil (in that order, you want the vinegar to be absorbed). Season to taste, add the chopped parsley, toss well and leave to cool.

Easy, delicious and frighteningly moreish. You can also spice it up a little by adding dry chilli flakes or toasted fennel or cumin seeds. It's no surprise that these combinations work, as carrots were originally grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds, not their roots. Some relatives of the carrot are still grown for this, such as parsley, fennel, dill and cumin.


Trivia:

We've all heard of the urban legend that says that eating large amounts of carrots will help one see in the dark but where does this myth come from? Well, it allegedly arose during the Battle of Britain when the RAF circulated a story about their pilots' carrot consumption as an attempt to cover up the discovery and effective use of radar technologies in engaging enemy planes. It reinforced existing German folklore and helped to encourage Britons looking to improve their night vision during the blackouts—to grow and eat the vegetable.
In some cultures the roots are also used to treat digestive problems, intestinal parasites, and tonsillitis or constipation.

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