Glazed Carrots with Ginger and Fresh Orange Juice

Mary Anne here. Mariel is right – when it comes to our Thanksgiving feast, it’s all about the side dishes. I have to admit, I’ve gotten into a bit of a rut in terms of trying out new veggies, but who wants to mess with success and risk disappointing the “kids” on such an important family holiday? Well this year, I do!

I LOVE our traditional Candied Sweet Potatoes, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever had a Thanksgiving dinner when these sweet spuds didn’t appear. But this year, I’ve decided to try something different (I swear I can hear Mariel gasping, even though she’s in a different county). I haven’t told her yet, but I’m also eschewing our usual Buttered Green Beans with Almonds in favor of the Haricots Verts with Roasted Shallots that her brother and I created this past fall.

These carrots are ridiculously easy and just as satisfying as the yams of Thanksgivings yore. I was shopping for the ingredients for my Cranberry Relish, which requires orange zest but not the juice, and I thought letting all that fruit go to waste was a sin. Lo and behold, gorgeous peeled baby carrots were on sale in the same aisle and so a recipe was born. I then added some ginger and cayenne to the glaze, while incorporating the butter and dark brown sugar of our traditional yams. These beta carotene-rich beauties were whipped up in less than 15 minutes and I plan to mix the rest of the orange juice with melted butter to baste our massive bird. Now that will be something to be grateful for on Thursday!

What will be appearing on your own table this Thanksgiving?

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Glazed Carrots with Ginger and Fresh Orange Juice
Serves 6

Note: The carrots can be blanched up to 3 hours ahead. Allow to stand at room temperature. A few minutes before serving, prepare the glaze; stir in the carrots, and reheat over medium flame for a couple of minutes.

Ingredients:
1 lb. baby carrots – $1.25
3 Tablespoons sweet butter – stock
3 Tablespoons packed dark brown sugar – stock
1 Tablespoon Dijon-style mustard – stock
1 Teaspoon ground ginger – stock
pinch of cayenne – stock
2 Tablespoons orange juice – stock
fresh parsley, chopped – optional
Grand Total Assuming a Well-Stocked Pantry: $1.25
Total Per Serving: $0.27

Directions:
1. Blanch the carrots in boiling water until tender-crisp, about 6 or 7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium-large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the juice, dark brown sugar, ginger, mustard, and cayenne. Whisk until smooth.

3. Add the cooked carrots, tossing well to combine. Heat through for a minute or so. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately.

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