The first time I tried carrot spoon sweet was only last summer on beloved Elafonisos, at the secluded and distinctive Aronis tavern.
At the end of the meal, every time, they bring a complimentary carrot spoon sweet with yogurt and semolina halva.
Now, semolina halva is something we all know and love, but carrot sweet? Who on earth thought of turning carrot into spoon sweet, I wondered. Popi is the quick answer, and of course several others too… but the sweet I had in front of me was made by her own hands.
The most distinctive treat
Popi Aroni is the wife of Giorgos Aronis, owner of the tavern of the same name in Kontogoni, Elafonisos.
Popi is one of the kindest personalities you can meet — since a person’s character takes shape in their presence — a calm, measured woman, with love for her island, for cooking, and for the people she feeds every day.
Many of the dishes served at the tavern pass through her hands and her mind.
Popi is the quiet strength behind the communicative and dynamic Giorgos. The two of them have managed to create a tavern with “sworn” followers in a rather… off-the-beaten-path spot.
I have a deep love for “hidden” places, those that are not right on the path of the crowds, the kind you need to be told about, and I am almost always proven right for it. Aronis is exactly that kind of fish tavern.
Having told you that at Aronis they make an excellent fish soup and lobster pasta, that their fresh fish is grilled or fried with mastery, and that their cooked dishes and side plates are thoughtful and well cared for, I should also tell you that they gladly offer advice and recipes to anyone who loves to cook.
I have received specific and clear instructions from Giorgos for fish soup, which I still have in my “future plans.”
But the carrot sweet, here it is, I’m giving it to you exactly as Popi described it to me.
At the tavern, Popi makes carrot sweet in enormous quantities — something like 12 kilos of carrot!
She grates the carrot on the coarse side of the grater, purées a whole orange, and adds enough water just to cover the grated carrot.
The quantities I give you in the recipe are adjusted to “normal household” standards and are just right for making an easy and very tasty spoon sweet.
Ingredients for carrot spoon sweet
- 800 g carrots, net weight
- 600 g sugar
- 500 ml water
- 80 g blanched almonds, sliced (flaked)
- juice and zest of 1 orange
- 1 vanilla
- 10-12 cloves
- juice of half a lemon
With Foodurismo’s automatic ingredient converter, easily see how many grams or ml correspond to each cup. Try it here!
Method
Wash the carrots well with water.
Cut off the tops and peel the carrots with a peeler or a sharp knife suitable for fruit or tomato.
Cut each carrot into three pieces and then into sticks, about the size of a matchstick.
You can also grate the carrots on the coarse side of the grater.
In that case, they will simply need less boiling time.
Once you have cut all the carrots into sticks, place them in a wide, shallow pot.
At this point you can add, if you like — it is not necessary — a good pinch of salt.
Grate the orange zest and squeeze its juice.
Add the vanilla, the sugar, and the cloves.
Turn on the heat until it comes to a boil. Lower the heat so it simmers gently.
If needed, remove any foam that may form.
Boil the sweet for 20-25 minutes without a lid on the pot.
Turn off the heat and let the sweet cool completely, for several hours.
Second boiling
Then boil the sweet again for 4 to 6 minutes so that it sets properly. We often do this because many fruits or vegetables release liquid after the first boiling, and that prevents the sweet from setting properly.
Add the almonds and stir gently.
Turn off the heat and squeeze in the half lemon.
When you see that the syrup has set properly, put the sweet into clean, sterilized jars and store it in a cupboard.
The safest way to make sure the sweet has set is to drip a few drops of syrup onto a small plate and, once it cools completely, it should flow slowly like honey.
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