Have you ever tasted a spiced carrot cream?
And have you ever tried to line up pasta spiders one by one trying not to let them sink into the aforementioned spiced carrot cream?
Ha ha ha ha! Well, Happy Halloween! 🎃 (but do you say that? happy halloween? I guess not, huh?)
The idea came to me at night, during one of those sleep breaks that sometimes happen to me, between a nap on the sofa after dinner, a refresh of the sourdough starter upon waking, and meanwhile, the TV on a crime story, one of those late-night programs much more interesting than prime-time shows. Which then, however, make you lose sleep. 😁
Fortunately, it doesn’t happen often that I lose sleep, because usually, thank goodness, I fall asleep easily, as the deep naps on the sofa show!
But anyway, it was in one of these moments of nocturnal wakefulness that this idea of spiced carrot cream flashed in my mind, concluding a mental journey like: halloween = pumpkin, -> pumpkin = no one likes it here (except me), so -> what do I replace it with? = mumble mumble -> of course! carrots! 😃
Mmmm… the mental journey was perhaps a bit more complex than that, but the essence of the reasoning was that.
And the goal of finding an alternative to pumpkin, which led me to the spiced carrot cream, was solely to be able to use a Halloween pasta (ehhh what a mom does with a shopping cart in hand!!!) that I had bought a few days before and didn’t know how to season.
It was a pasta shape neither small nor large, too small for a dry pasta dish, too large for a broth soup, too colorful for a red sauce, too full of holes for a pesto, or for any other seasoning which would have clogged all the holes.
But what an unhealthy idea to buy ‘this pasta oh! 😀
Yes, unhealthy idea… but only until I changed my mind, that is when in the dark of night I opened my eyes, looked at the ceiling, and said hey, what an idea!
The night always brings advice, there’s truth in this saying. 🤩
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Other Halloween ideas? Here they are!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, Halloween
Ingredients
- 10 carrots (approximately 21 oz)
- 2 potatoes (8.8-10.6 oz)
- 1 onion (small)
- 150 ml milk
- 1 quart water (or vegetable broth)
- 2 tbsp semolina
- ground ginger
- nutmeg
- extra virgin olive oil
- 80 grams pasta (Halloween-themed)
Tools
- Pot with lid
- Immersion Blender
Steps
Peel the carrots and potatoes. Cut them into pieces and cook them in a pot with 2 quarts of water (or light vegetable broth).
No sautéing in this carrot cream, it’s completely light. 😉Cook over medium heat with the lid partially closed for about 30 minutes.
Halfway through cooking, add the milk.
Watch the heat because the milk foams when boiling.Remove from heat, blend with an immersion blender.
At this stage, spice it up by adding a sprinkle of ground ginger and a grating of nutmeg.
I mixed and tasted and adjusted according to my taste, and also considering my children’s tastes. Adjust according to your preferences, spiced flavors are always very subjective, so I didn’t specify the amount.Put back on the heat for a few minutes to complete the cooking and thicken the cream.
To achieve a thicker consistency of the cream, necessary for the Halloween pasta (or other pasta of choice) to float as a decoration on the surface, I added a couple of tablespoons of semolina (it works great): I poured the semolina little by little, stirring to avoid lumps, then continued cooking for a few more minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook the pasta.
This pasta I used cooks in 8 minutes. (Note: it’s a Lidl pasta)
Once the pasta is cooked, pour the spiced carrot cream into bowls, then – with a bit of patience – place spiders, bats, and pumpkin-shaped pasta on the surface, being careful not to let them sink and arranging them as desired.
Before serving, add an additional grating of nutmeg and a drizzle of oil to each plate (not essential for those who want a completely light dish).
Serve the spiced carrot cream hot or warm (I preferred it hot, my children warm 😉 ).
Enjoy your meal!
Ah! If by any chance you don’t plan to celebrate Halloween, I assure you this cream is also excellent plain, without pasta. I also tried it without ginger, with only nutmeg: great that way too!
What can I say, it’s good all the time!
Salt-Free Tips
I remind you that I cook without adding salt. 😉
In this recipe, the only ingredient originally salty is tofu. Before using it, it’s good to rinse the block under running water to remove the excess salt from the brine.
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce the salt gradually, the palate needs to get used to it slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granule and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that do not disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally allow yourself a break from the rule. It is good for the mood and helps perseverance.
If you do not want, or cannot, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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