Worker Bee here – bringing you another weekend Primal recipe. This time it’s all about modern foraging for a simple, creative summer dish.

The weekend at Mom’s was long and full of summer picnics, food served trough-style in big aluminum pans, set out for questionably long periods of time in the hot summer sun; food that looked about as uncomfortable and sweaty as we all were sitting packed beside one another on tight picnic benches under someone’s backyard tent.

The only clearly edible options at the summer smorgasbord were the ones I felt least safe tasting – the pulled pork, the burgers looking a little off-color, even whilst mingling under their protective grill lids. I spent the majority of the time at the outings sipping cups of iced water, picking at plates of raw vegetables and watching other people pump the keg and eat potentially e-colied food with their bare fingers.

Once it was all over, and I was at home again, I rooted through the pantry – the bags of raw nuts, the bowls of fresh garden vegetables – ready to try my hand at some satisfying combination of my tasty findings. In my ravenous reconnaissance I’d caught sight of about 2 pounds of carrots, a pound of green beans, a few eggs, and some organic fresh-churned butter. And the most fantastic kitchen tool of all – a food processor I had forgotten was there.

With the idea for a carrot soufflé rapidly coming together in my mind, I pulverized the nuts into a flour and then poured it into a pool of melted butter and whisked eggs, and watched it not be, but really really look like, regular white flour.

What I ended up with in the end was something completely non-carrot soufflé but still completely edible. (I would know, as I ate half of it myself.) The simple four-ingredients had turned into quite a nutty cake, reminiscent of Jewish Mondel Bread without the dried fruit.

The carrot-walnut bread can stand alone as a sufficient main course. I paired mine with a nice crunchy pile of steamed green beans.

While summer is not a time for very serious food or complicated cooking, it is more than just hamburgers and hot dogs. I say this as, beneath a backyard tent, I pick up a slice of carrot walnut pie with my fingers and take another delicious bite.

Ingredients:

1 cup plain raw walnuts (or pecans)
1 lb carrots, diced
½ to ¾ stick organic fresh butter
3 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In food processor, pulverize the walnuts to a crumbly flour. Transfer to a separate bowl. Pulverize the carrots in the food processor until more like a puree than shredded carrots.

In a small bowl, microwave the butter until melted (but do not overheat). Whisk the eggs in with the butter until well mixed. Gradually add the carrots and walnut flour.

Pour into a lightly greased pie plate (or other casserole dish if preferred) and bake for 35-40 minutes.

If you'd like to add an avatar to all of your comments click here!

Load Comments