I’ve got 10 fresh ideas for cooking with carrots in summer:

1.  Pickled

The book, Canning for a New Generation is my latest love. It’s modern, creative, and full of worldly, powerful flavors. I don’t want to make a monotone pickle from just vinegar, sugar, and a single ingredient. I want a variety of spices, shapes, colors, and vegetables packed into one jar. Two recipes using carrots caught my eye. First, Do Chua (Vietnamese Carrot and Diakon) which Liana Krissoff says is “the most common quick pickle on the Vietnamese table.” Do Chua can be used as a dipping sauce, a vegetable side dish, and on bahn mi sandwiches. The second recipe from the book that caught my eye was her Spicy Carrot Pickles, which get flavor from cinnamon, dried chiles, garlic, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, onions and peppercorns. That’s what I’m talking about, people.

2.  Salad

Indian Carrot Salad from Jamie at Home is full of flavors that will wake up your palate. He uses a mandolin to thinly slice carrots into ribbons (multicolored varieties like purple, orange, and yellow create a nice visual effect). The vinaigrette is a combination of lemon juice, shallot, ginger, cumin, and olive oil. The carrots are garnished with toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and mint then served atop sauteed ground lamb spiced with Garam Masala. A little Naan bread and you’re good to go! I also like the sound of a Moroccan inspired Carrot and Coriander Salad from A Platter of Figs by David Tanis. The julienned carrots are combined with shallot, garlic, coriander seed, cumin seed, and red pepper flakes then dressed with a lime vinaigrette. Garnish with green olives and chopped cilantro and serve with hard boiled eggs.

3.  Roasted

Carrots harvested during summer time are exceptionally sweet. Roasting them in a hot oven caramelizes their sugars. My favorite way is to toss the carrots with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary. You could also roast them coated with honey, the carrots come out glistening and glazed. Roast carrots and beets together with olive oil and thyme.

4.  Carrot Pie

I came across a recipe for Mini Carrot-Cardamom Pies in The New Classics (Martha Stewart) that seems intriguing. Creme is infused with the flavor of cardamom and ginger then combined with cooked carrots and puréed. This filling is portioned into mini pie shells made with a traditional pâte brisée (pie crust) and baked. Just before serving the pies are dusted with ground cardamom. This sounds fantastic!

5.  Stewed

Thomas Keller shares a recipe for Nantes Carrot Stew in Ad Hoc at Home. Nantes is a variety of carrot that has a long, cylindrical shape which is the same diameter throughout. You can use any variety of carrot you want as long as you cut the pieces the same size so they cook evenly. He stews chopped carrots in carrot juice with coriander, caraway, yellow curry powder and a bit of dry sherry. I like how he uses homemade carrot juice to provide a thicker, starchy “gravy” for the carrots.

6.  Provencal

In her book, At Home in Provence, Patricia Wells shares a recipe for Carrots Provencal made with olives picked from her own trees. I’m enthralled by the visual of her pairing sauteed bright orange carrots with black olives. The only other flavors are salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic.

7.  Terrine

A vegetable terrine is stimulating visually as well as fresh, light, and flavorful. I’m obsessed with Stéphane Reynaud’s book, Terrine with it’s modern design and colorful pictures. The recipe for Carrot, Cumin, and Sesame Terrine suspends layers of carrot in a saffron and curry infused custard. The loaf is coated with crunchy sesame seeds. Yes, it’s awesome. Eric Skokan, the chef of Black Cat Restaurant in Boulder, used to make a terrine with goat cheese, carrots, and peas that was bright and highlighted the freshness of local farm ingredients.

8.  Soup

The sweet, earthy carrots of summer make for an intensely flavored, brightly colored puréed carrot soup. You can simply sautee the carrots with aromatics like garlic, onion, and ginger, then cook in water until tender and purée. The seasoning is the fun part. Experiment with different flavors like curry spices or cilantro. Let Moroccan spices or a special Italian olive oil inspire you. Puréed vegetable soups are a great opportunity to get creative in the kitchen.

9.  Use the Carrot Greens

Fresh carrot greens have a spicy, parsley-like flavor and can be added to salads or soups. I like the idea of using carrot greens in a puréed green soup of spinach or arugula, zucchini, herbs, or even cucumber. The carrot greens will be a zesty background note that makes people wonder, “What’s in that soup?”.

10.  Spring Rolls

Carrots add sweetness and crunch to light and healthy spring rolls. Just shred your favorite vegetables and wrap with rice paper (soaked briefly in water to soften). This is so simple and quick to make at home. If you’ve never tried making your own spring rolls, check out this recipe from Bon Apetit for Shrimp Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dipping Sauce. This could be the beginning of a beautiful thing for you.

What is your favorite way to cook with carrots? Let me know in the comments section by clicking here.