If you meet a picky eater who won't eat his/her veggies, maybe you ought to try feeding that fussy-fuss some PURPLE VEGGIES. Because they are so much fun, and tasty besides. You may already know I have a penchant for purple things that normally come in other colors. I should clarify: I have a penchant for purple vegetables that normally come in other colors. Bruises and other bodily injuries do not count.
I got these gorgeous purple carrots from, where else, Berkeley Bowl market. I love getting things there that I can't get anywhere else. I was dismayed to see that the purple color was so delicate - even rubbing the carrots too vigorously while washing took away a lot of the color, so I didn't even bother peeling them.
I thought maybe like potatoes and bell peppers, the purple color would turn brown upon cooking, so I tried a couple bites of raw carrot and made a face. I do not like raw carrots. So I cooked it. With sliced zucchini, mushrooms, and lots of garlic! The purple color ended up holding well, which made me happy. I'd say it was a delicious success. Lovely earthy texture, and the flavors went so well together I just wanted to shovel it in my mouth and dish some more.
Anyway, for starch I was attempting to make a supposed carbonara sauce and failed, but it was still tasty. I even browned the butter before frying my gnocchi in it. But the gnocchi were much too hot, and as soon as I dumped my egg/parmesan mixture, it curdled and became scrambled eggs. I tried to thin the mixture with some pasta water but it was a no-go. Scrambled eggs they were, and scrambled eggs they remained, with delightful little lumps of potato gnocchi. Finished off with some salt and pepper, it still made a wonderfully simple and satisfying dinner.