Vegetables

Carrot

Καρότο · Karoto

Carrots, the sweetener behind most Greek braises
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Carrots almost never lead a Greek dish, and that is exactly what makes them worth understanding. They sit in the aromatic base of nearly every braise and stock alongside onion and celery, cut large rather than diced so they can be fished out or eaten as a piece, and their job is to add a slow sweetness that balances the acid of tomato and lemon.

There are dishes where they step forward. Anginares a la polita gives them equal billing with the artichokes and potatoes, cut into thick rounds and cooked until they hold their shape but give completely. Grated raw, they are the standard companion to shredded cabbage in a winter lahanosalata, and they go into Greek and Cypriot pickles alongside cauliflower and celery.

How they are cut matters more than the quantity. Finely diced carrot disappears into a sauce and sweetens it invisibly, which is what a meat sauce for pastitsio wants; thick batons or halved lengths stay identifiable and become part of what is served, which is what a fish soup or a boiled beef dish wants. Grating gives the fastest release of sweetness of all.

Recipes with carrot

17 recipes on the site using it.

A bowl of pale golden avgolemono soup with shredded chicken, rice and a lemon wedgeAvgolemono SoupKotosoupa avgolemono Κοτόσουπα αυγολέμονοSoups · 1h 30m · serves 6A dish of baked giant beans in a rich orange tomato sauce with parsley and olive oilBaked Giant Beans in TomatoGigantes plaki Γίγαντες πλακίMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6A bowl of thick Greek white bean soup with carrot and celery, olive oil pooled on the surfaceFasoladaFasolada ΦασολάδαSoups · 1h 45m · serves 6A bowl of thick Greek lentil soup with olive oil and a small jug of vinegarLentil Soup with VinegarFakes ΦακέςSoups · 1h 7m · serves 6Cretan Wedding PilafGamopilafo ΓαμοπίλαφοMain Courses · 2h 20m · serves 8A bowl of Greek giouvarlakia meatball soup in avgolemono sauceMeatball Soup in AvgolemonoGiouvarlakia ΓιουβαρλάκιαSoups · 1h 15m · serves 6Constantinople-Style Cabbage SlawPolitiki salata Πολίτικη σαλάταSalads · 20m · serves 6A bowl of Greek lachanosalata cabbage and carrot saladCabbage and Carrot SaladLachanosalata ΛαχανοσαλάταSalads · 15m · serves 6A bowl of Greek kotosoupa avgolemono chicken and rice soupChicken and Rice SoupKotosoupa avgolemono Κοτόσουπα αυγολέμονοSoups · 1h 50m · serves 6Greek anginares a la polita braised artichokes with potato and carrotConstantinople-Style Braised ArtichokesAnginares ala polita Αγκινάρες αλά πολίταMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 4A bowl of Greek psarosoupa fish soup with avgolemonoFish SoupPsarosoupa ΨαρόσουπαSoups · 1h 10m · serves 6Boiled Vegetables with Lemon OilVrasta lahanika me ladolemono Βραστά λαχανικά με λαδολέμονοSide Dishes · 45m · serves 4A bowl of Greek soupa kritharaki orzo soupOrzo SoupSoupa kritharaki Σούπα κριθαράκιSoups · 40m · serves 4A bowl of Greek red lentil soup with cumin and a drizzle of olive oilRed Lentil SoupSoupa fakes kokkines Σούπα φακές κόκκινεςSoups · 40m · serves 4A bowl of Greek karotosalata grated carrot salad with garlicGrated Carrot SaladKarotosalata ΚαροτοσαλάταSalads · 15m · serves 4A bowl of Corfiot bourou bourou vegetable and pasta soupCorfu Vegetable and Pasta SoupBourou bourou Μπουρού μπουρούSoups · 55m · serves 5Boiled Goat SoupGida vrasti Γίδα βραστήSoups · 3h 20m · serves 6