Italian Carrots

I've made this dish many times during the summer and fall, especially when I can get fresh carrots, easily, from the Farmer's Market or Co-Op. They go especially well with pasta or grilled sausages: anything spicy is a great accompaniment to the sweetness in this lovely side dish!

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 servings (small)

Ingredients

• 4  large carrots, sliced on a bias
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄2 tablespoon fennel seed
• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1  tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1  teaspoon raw sugar
•  to taste  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Clean the carrots and peel the garlic. NOTE: If the carrots are fresh and do not have too many knobby nooks and crannies, I scrub them rather than peel them, preferring to keep the flavor and nutrients of the skin. Just be sure to get off all the dirt, black spots, deep cracks, and both ends.
2. Slice the carrots into medallions, on the bias about 1/4" thick. Mince the garlic. Set the vegetables aside.
3. In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add the fennel seeds to the dry pan. Slide them around gently or stir with a wooden spoon to prevent burning but cook them to brown. You want to smell the faint liquorice aroma of the seeds and see their brown color darken just slightly. At this point, add the butter and oil.
4. When the butter melts, add the carrots and garlic, stirring to coat everything in the seeds and liquid. Reduce the heat to medium-low, browning the carrots in the fat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. This should take about 10-12 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with the sugar and, once it has coated the carrots, season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Remove to a platter and serve.