A colorful side dish with Cape Cod carrots

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

The taste of cranberries bringing orange orbs of carrots together in a great, tangy side dish works equally as well with pork, ham or turkey. For those who are enjoying Tofurkey or other vegetarian dishes, well …  this is a perfect accompaniment as well.

Here’s a bit of food history: Why is it called ‘dry’ ginger ale? During colonial New England, ginger beer was made and sold universally. There was even one brief period in the late 18th century that the brewing of ginger beer eclipsed cider in popularity. Thomas Jefferson was known for his famous ginger-honey beer. Flavored with a little lemon, it was buried in sand in his wine cellar for a number of months before selling. In the 19th century, a non-alcoholic form of ginger beer became vogue and to differentiate the two, ‘dry’ ginger ale was marketed for its taste, health benefits and its appeal to teetotalers.

Cape Cod carrots with herbs and cranberry sauce.

Cape Cod Carrots

This recipe will remind many of you of the classic Carrots Vichy, which is a great way to enjoy the sweet flavor of carrots. But what better way to enhance on this delicately flavored side dish than to add a touch of Cape Cod?

1 pound carrots
12-ounce can golden ginger ale*
1 (8-ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce(about 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon molasses, optional
2 teaspoons dried dill or rosemary
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
Peel and slice carrots and add to medium saucepan. In a blender or food processor, pulse the ginger ale with cranberry sauce and dill until smooth and add to saucepan. Add enough water or more ginger ale to saucepan to cover carrots if needed. Cook over medium-high heat until carrots are tender.
With a slotted spoon, remove carrots to a bowl, reduce heat to medium and add the butter. Continue boiling liquid until reduced by half or thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Remove glaze from heat, transfer to carrots and toss. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

*I use the strongest flavored ginger ale, which is golden, but use ginger beer if you can find it.

Schiffer Books of Pennsylvania has released Jim Bailey’s new book The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen. It contains more than 550 traditional New England comfort-food recipes tweaked for today’s palates with hundreds of kitchen tips and food facts. The hardback book is 312 pages and contains 200 color images. Its ISBN is 978-0-7643-4191-5 and the cost is $34.99. The book can be ordered through Misty Valley Books, 802-875-3400. The Yankee Chef™