Roasted heirloom rainbow carrots with caramelized hazelnuts

When you read this I will be in Milan beginning our 4 month adventure in Italy, but for now, yup, still clearing out the fridge before we leave and scheduling a few posts so you have something to look at while we are in transit. Always thinking of you:).

I still have these beautiful heirloom rainbow carrots form Sunshine Farm Seeds, those that didn’t get roasted for Thanks Giving, so I am roasting them now and serving with chopped caramelized hazelnuts. I should have someone over, there is so much food here still.

I am also wrapping up a few culinary events for the season and last night attended a long table dinner at Okanagan Grocery Artisan Breads owned by the lovely Monica. The dinner was catered by Chef. G. (Giulio Piccioli) of the One Big Table Secret Dinners (you need a password to get in). Each course featured bread, quite fittingly, as the event was at a bakery. First course was an Italian style panzanilla, a bread and tomato salad made with chunks of tomatoes mixed with day old bread that was soaked in cold water and vinegar and then squeezed dry and tossed with the tomatoes and onion. Next came a buttery and flakey croissant that in my case was stuffed with sautéed mushrooms, herbs and feta and for the non vegetarian in the group, with curried chicken salad. Dessert was a thick and fluffy French toast made with the bakery’s brioche loaf and served with syrup and a scoop of homemade ice cream. It was fun to meet new people (hi Jaqueline) and not having to drive an hour or more to attend.

On the cultural front we attended the NY Metropolitan opera live broadcast of Verdi’s Otello. I would almost say that without these operas I would have a hard time living in Kelowna, or at least would have to travel to Vancouver to see them. I love opera that much. The drama, the music, the stories, the lyrics, the costumes, the production, the level of excellence, it sweeps me off my feet every time. Otello is an intense  opera with heart breaking story of evil manipulation that destroys everything in its path. “The evil I think and proceeds from me fulfils my destiny” says Lago. Suffering a perceived (but false) betrayal by his wife Otello strangles her to death only to realize after that he was manipulated by Lago, whom he believed to be his right hand man. Willow and Ave Maria were performed to perfection by a first time Desdemona, Ms. Yoncheva. It seems she was born to sing this role. “Let our love remain unchanged, through the changing years“, she sings to Otello in Act I. It was not to be.

Roasted heirloom carrots

Well, back to the kitchen. The recipe below is very easy and you can use it to roast just about any vegetables.

Ingredients:

A bunch carrots, as many as you need

Olive oil to drizzle

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/2 cup candied hazelnuts, crushed

Directions:

Cut the carrots in halves orr quarters, depending on their size. and you can leave thin ones whole.

Line a baking sheet with foil, place the carrots on the sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle the sugar over and toss them so the carrots are glistening with with oil.

Roast in a preheated 400F oven until the carrots are done to you liking. Poke then with a sharp knife to see how done they are.

Remove from oven and arrange on a plate, top with the crushed nuts and serve warm.

Roasted heirloom carrots

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