Carrots Agrodolce

Make these sweet-and-sour glazed carrots ahead of time and serve them as part of a vegetable antipasti.

Ingredients

1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks (cut carrot in half crosswise, then slice into lengthwise slabs, stack slabs on top of each other and finely slice into matchsticks)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons minced onion
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh mint (optional)

Place the carrots, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/3 cup water in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the water has evaporated, about 7 minutes.
Stir in the onion and cook for 1 minute. Add the sugar and mix. Add the vinegar, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir until there is a glaze coating the carrots, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the mint, if desired. Place on serving platter.