Steamed carrots with lemon and parsley, light and simple

Italians tuck into their vegetables with the same passion as they would do for a juicy steak.

The key for super tasty veggies is to buy them fresh and to dress them properly. The classic Italian dressing is a mix of olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt but there are variations to that.

For carrots for instance I always add lemon juice instead of vinegar. The classic way of preparing them is with lemon juice, parsley, olive oil and a pinch of salt. The lemony taste in carrots is simply divine: just one ingredient can add so much flavour to a vegetable. We must never forget that in Mediterranean cooking simplicity is best.

Carrots are delicious raw or cooked. Try to avoid boiling them as you will just loose all the vitamins when you throw away their cooking water. You can steam them or cook them in very little water which will eventually evaporate whilst cooking.

Here you have this super simple way of preparing carrots, avoid over cooking them if you want them to retain their maximum flavor and their overall nutritional value.

• Prep Time : 5 minutes
• Cook Time : 8 minutes

Ingredients

• carrots – 500 g – slightly less than 6 cups
• finely chopped fresh parsley – 2 tbsp
• lemon juice – 2 tbsp
• sea salt – a sprinkle
• extra virgin olive oil – 2 tbsp

Instructions

Clean the carrots, top and tail them and cut them at julienne or just chop them finely. Put them in a steamer for about 8 minutes until they are soft but still on the crunchy side.

Dress them with the olive oil, the lemon juice, the parsley and a pinch of salt. Mix well. You can prepare them in advance and just warm them up before eating them.

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