The Pony came out for Easter dinner on Sunday afternoon. He's a good last-minute helper, stirring and covering and uncovering and setting out. Makes his own Stovetop Stuffing. Bakes the Sister Schubert's Rolls. He was stirring the vinchtables, as he calls the potatoes/carrots/onions roasted with bacon on top. It was a childhood thing.
Anyhoo... as the stirrer, The Pony took the liberty of sampling a carrot to see if they were warm enough yet. I cooked them Saturday morning, and they just needed heating. Of course he couldn't resist razzing me about a previous vinchtable faux pas.
"Mmm. Pretty good. Not like the Friend Incident one Christmas, the year you served us carrots that were like chomping into a finger bone."
"I think it was the carrots! I always cook them the same. Then a couple holidays ago, they were all shriveled and soft. Like.. like... chomping into a baby's pinky."
"That is terrible! Who would say such a thing!!!"
"Hey! YOU are the one who said it was like eating a finger. I was just trying to compare!"
"A BABY? Really?"
"Yeah. Just cartilage, before it hardens into bone. Anyhoo... these are just right. Goldilocks would enjoy dining with us."
The Pony, always striving to make sure things are right, ate three more carrots to confirm their readiness for consumption.
Carrots are tricky to get just right, I think it has something to do with the age of the carrots, if they are pulled at just the right time or left in the ground too long and get "woody" in the centres.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds right, and explains why the results vary, despite the same cooking process.