Carrot and ginger

Preparation

Baking Directions:

Put the water into a 4-quart pot and put on high heat.

Wash and then peel the carrots.

Cut off the stems and discard.

Cut the carrots lengthwise and then cut each length into 8 or 10 pieces.

Peel the ginger and mince (see notes below).

Throw the carrot and ginger into the pot and cook 6 to 8 minutes.

The carrots should be tender but not mushy.

Pour the entire contents of the pot into the blender.

Puree until smooth.

Pour into two ice cube trays and allow to cool.

Wrap and freeze.

Tips:

I cut the carrots lengthwise so there is a flat surface.

That makes cutting them crosswise easier and safer.

line 4 or 5 up in a row and move through this prep work even faster.

The best way to peel ginger is with the edge of a spoon.

Try it! One of the first things a new cook does in his or her first kitchen job is peel vegetables! As a newbie I did my fair share of fifty-pound bags of carrots, potatoes, and onions.

The key to mundane and repetitive prep work is to have a system.

Saving five seconds per carrot when you are dealing with five hundred carrots saves over forty minutes of work.

Remove all the carrots from the bag at once (instead of going in and out of the bag each time).

Peel all the carrots without removing the peeler from your hand.

Once they are peeled cut the ends off two at a time.

Then clear your cutting board of the mess because everything moving forward is a keeper.

Finally make your cuts- make your lengthwise cuts and then make your crosswise cuts four at a time.

As a new cook, doing this kind of stuff fast gets you promoted.

As a new parent it gets you out of the kitchen faster! Ginger is my favorite flavor enhancer for little babies.

It gives food a slightly Asian flavor and I find it very soothing on the palate.

This recipe, with a little more seasoning and a garnish of crème fraîche, often makes it onto my menus.