Sweet and Sour Carrots: Bringing the Flavors of Italy to Your Table…
Sweet and sour carrots are a tasty and simple preserve, an ideal dinner saver when, in times of urgency or lack of ingredients, you do not know what side dish to pair with the dish you are preparing. Excellent in vegetable salads but also in pasta and rice salads, they are suitable when combined with peas, and will prove to be a convenient and tasty side dish, but above all a bit unusual!
Ingredients :
- 600g (1.3 lbs) baby carrots
- 300ml (1¼ cups) apple cider vinegar
- 300ml (1¼ cups) extra virgin olive oil
- 10g (2 tsp) sugar
- 3g (½ tsp) fine salt
- 8g (2 tbsp) fresh marjoram leaves
How to make Sweet and Sour Carrots:
- To prepare sweet-and-sour carrots start by sanitizing the jars and caps, as indicated in the Ministry of Health guidelines given at the bottom of the recipe. Once you have finished this important operation move on to your baby carrots, which should be very fresh and spotless: peel them, wash them under running water and cut off the tip. Blanch the carrots in water for 1 minute.
- After one minute in boiling water immediately submerge the carrots in water and ice, and leave them there for 3-4 minutes. This will help keep the color of the carrots intact. Take a saucepan and pour in the vinegar and oil.
- Also add the salt 7 and sugar. Bring everything to a boil, and then pour in the carrots, which you will blanch for about 2 minutes. Be careful to keep to the time and not overcook them because it is important that the carrots remain crisp.
- After the necessary time has elapsed, gently transfer the carrots to a colander by means of a skimmer, and let them drain and cool. Then transfer the carrots to the jars you have previously sanitized, trying to arrange the carrots as neatly as possible, without pressing them too hard. Add the sprigs of marjoram.
- Fill the jars with the cooking liquid, taking care to stop 1 centimeter from the rim of the jar . Arrange the press to make sure you hold the carrots firmly in place and seal the jars tightly, but without squeezing too tightly. Now move on to boiling the jars, or pasteurization, following the directions in the Ministry of Health guidelines cited at the bottom of the recipe.
- If you are using jars with screw caps, once the jars have cooled check whether the vacuum has occurred correctly: you can press in the center of the cap and, if you do not hear the classic “click-clack,” the vacuum will have occurred. If you should notice the formation of small air bubbles after reboiling, while the jar is still hot tap it gently on a plane so that the bubbles rise to the surface and then disappear naturally.
- If you use jars with rubber gasket closures, at the time of consuming the sweet and sour carrots you can do the vacuum test by pulling the appropriate tab: if pulling it produces a dry noise it means that the contents have been preserved with the correct vacuum. Conversely, if pulling the tab makes the seal “soft,” it means that the vacuum was not created correctly and it is better not to eat the contents. Your sweet and sour carrots are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appetit!
