Anise Carrots Recipes

ANISE CARROTS

Steps:

• Cook/steam carrots in salted water until crisp-tender (or desired tenderness); drain.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, saute onion in the butter until they are soft and translucent.
• Return cooked, drained carrots to saucepan with the sauteed onions.
• Add anise and preserves. Toss to coat well.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

CARROT & STAR ANISE PURéE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large, shallow pan. Add the carrots, tarragon and star anise. Slowly cook for 10 mins until the carrots are glazed and starting to soften. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then simmer everything for 20 mins until cooked and the stock has reduced.
• Pour in the cream, bring back to the boil and simmer for 1 min more. Remove from the heat, take out the star anise and stir through the lemon juice. Season to taste, then blitz with a hand blender until as smooth as possible. The purée can now be chilled or frozen, then gently reheated before serving.

CREAMY CARROT SOUP WITH STAR ANISE

Steps:

• In large stock pot over medium heat melt the butter. Add chopped onion, 3 star anise, bay leaves and garlic. Saute until the onion starts to soften and glisten, about 5 minutes.
• Add the carrots and fresh stock. Cover, bring to boil and simmer until carrots are very tender, approximately 30 minutes.
• Remove star anise and bay leaves. Using an immersion blender puree the soup until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Take the remaining star anise and grind to a fine powder. Stir a little into the soup. Adjust seasoning and add more star anise to taste. Stir in the fresh minced chives.
• Serve hot.

CARROT CURRY

Steps:

• For the curry sauce:
• Put the star anise, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and garam masala in a small dry skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds; be careful not to burn the spices. Scrape onto a plate and set aside.
• Grate the cut sides of the tomatoes on the large holes of a flat or box grater set over (or in) a bowl; discard the skins. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and the toasted spices, then add the carrot juice and lime juice, bring to a simmer, and cook gently again until the sauce can easily coat the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes.
• Add the saffron and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the coconut milk and cook for another few minutes to let the flavors get friendly. Remove from the heat and pick out and discard the whole spices. With an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth (or use a regular blender), then pour it into a smaller saucepan. Season with salt.
• To finish the dish:
• Add the carrots to the curry sauce and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender, about 35 minutes.
• Spoon the curry into bowls and drizzle each serving with a bit of coconut milk. Garnish each bowl with cilantro leaves, lime zest, and lime juice. Serve with rice.

CARROT-STAR ANISE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Saute chopped carrots and onion in the hot oil, 10 to 15 minutes. Add water slowly, adjusting so that the vegetables are just covered. Add star anise, chicken bouillon, and coriander and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, about 40 minutes.
• Remove star anise. Puree soup with an immersion blender to desired consistency. Garnish with thyme and marjoram and serve hot.

ONE-PAN CARROT & CUMIN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a deep saucepan over a medium heat until just starting to sizzle, then fry the cumin seeds until toasted and crackling.
• Add the onion, leek, garlic, star anise, carrots and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened in their own steam.
• Pour over the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer, then continue to cook for 10 mins until the carrots are tender. Spoon 2 tbsp of the cream into a small dish and set aside, then pour the rest into the pan and bring back to the boil. Remove the star anise and use a hand blender to blitz the mixture until smooth and silky. Or, tip into a standard blender in batches and blitz before returning to the pan. For a really smooth soup, push through a sieve into a saucepan. At this stage, the soup can be cooled completely and chilled for up to three days or frozen for six months. Defrost fully before reheating. Reheat until piping hot over a low heat, then pour into bowls, drizzle with the reserved cream and scatter the extra cumin seeds on top. Serve with these cheese, cumin & onion seed cornbread muffins, if you like.