Carrots Cooked Like Risotto (with or without Edamame)

I was reminded of a dish from a restaurant I worked in long ago when flipping through a recent cookbook about modern French bistros. We used to cut potatoes to the size of rice grains and cook it like risotto. The starch of the potatoes gave a very similar texture to traditional risotto. Here, carrots are cooked similarly, but you won’t get the same mouth feel until you choose to take some of the veg and broth and pureé it in a Vitamix or food processor and add it back in at the end. As I love to play with variations of peas and carrots, I include an option for adding shelled edamame. Look for frozen non-GMO organic beans, and cook them a little longer than called for. They should be tender all the way through, with a creamy texture. The recipe is great without them if you wish to keep things quick and easy.

INGREDIENTS:

½ small white or yellow onion, cut into very fine dice

1 medium shallot, cut into very fine dice

1 stalk celery, cut into fine dice

½ teaspoon fresh thyme or marjoram, minced

4-5 large Chantenay carrots (3-4 cups) cut into ¼ dice

1½-2 cups frozen non-GMO shelled edamame

1-2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 tablespoon brightly flavored olive oil, an Olio Nuovo preferred

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup dry white wine

2-3 cups hot vegetable or chicken stock, as you prefer

METHOD:

Heat a 3 quart sauteuse or chef’s pan over medium heat. When hot, film pan with oil and heat through. When oil is hot, add a tablespoon of butter. As soon as it stops foaming, lower the heat to medium-low and add the onions and shallots and sweat until clear and fragrant. Do not allow any of the vegetables to color or brown during the execution of this recipe.

Once the alliums are quite tender, add the celery and stir in. Cook until soft and clear. Season with salt and pepper and add the herbs. Stir in to combine and cook until celery is meltingly soft.

Add a little oil to the pan if needed, then add the carrots, tossing to combine. Add the wine to the pan, and stir, cooking until the wine is almost entirely evaporated.

Add a quarter cup of stock, cook and stir until almost evaporated. Continue this process until the carrots are cooked through. You can decide how cooked you like your carrots-just done or softer-by stopping as soon as they are tender or adding stock a couple more times.

If using the edamame, while cooking the carrots, bring water to a boil and add the beans. Cook a little longer than the package says until the beans are quite tender (usually around 8 minutes). Drain and then add the flavorful olive oil and a little salt. Keep close to the stove.

When carrots have reached desired texture, add the edamame and toss to combine. Turn up heat to medium-high and add ¼ cup of stock. Season with salt and pepper, and then 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pea-sized bits. Stir and toss so butter emulsifies into liquid in pan. If needed to thicken sauce, you can add the last tablespoon of butter, being sure to keep the pan moving so the butter sauce doesn’t break and stays emulsified.

Serve hot.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen