David Rubel's

What's For Dinner?

12/07/05 

Carrot Paté

Listener Mary Lou Giuliano inherited this tasty and healthful recipe from her mother, Louise Burgess. For some reason that I haven’t been able to identify, it tastes remarkably like chopped liver—in a good way.

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, sliced thinly
• 1/4 c orange juice
• 1/4 c water
• 1/4 tsp (or more) curry powder
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbs mayonnaise
• 1 tsp coarse-grained mustard

1. Heat the oil over a medium flame in a skillet that can be covered. Saute the onion until soft.

2. Add the carrots, orange juice, water, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover tightly and simmer until the carrots become tender, about 20 minutes. (If the liquid evaporates too quickly and the carrots start to burn, add a little more liquid.)

3. Once the carrots have softened, uncover the skillet, raise the flame, and boil off the remaining liquid.

4. Transfer the carrots to the bowl of a food processor and puree. Add the mayonnaise and mustard. Pulse several more times to combine. Serve on crackers or bread.

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* Mary also made this recipe substituting pumpkin for the carrots. “It was still delicious,” she writes, “and still the beautiful orange color.”

If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future.

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David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002).