Harissa Roasted Carrots
I could eat this dish every day and I don't even consider carrots one of my favorite entrée vegetables!
The inspiration for this ridiculously delicious carrot dish comes from the Israeli Chef Alon Shaya of Denver’s Safta. I added my own version of tahini labneh (don't stress over finding labneh –you can use Greek yogurt) and my own homemade mild harissa, but I still have to give props where it’s due. His combo of roasted baby carrots and a sweet n’ sour harissa vinaigrette with sliced raw spring onions, caraway seeds and cumin is hard to stop eating – even the leftovers are impossibles to step away from (especially with lavash or pita for dipping).
I used Tomatero Nante carrots from the farmer’s market and they were spectacular. My threenager Layla, who is still on the fence about most vegetables kept asking for more. Roasting carrots only deepens the sweetness too. There is nothing comparable to a vegetable picked at peak and used that same day. And there's also nothing like shopping in the open air away from tight aisles and stressed out shoppers. Farmers here in the Bay Area have adopted the French method where you point at the produce you want and they bag it up, thus avoiding the American need to fondle and squeeze everything under the sun.
I’m including my recipe for Harissa, but there are many great store-bought options. If you have the time in quarantine to make everything from scratch, then by all means whip a big batch up and keep it in the fridge for a few weeks! I make this harissa mild for my kids, but you can make it super spicy if you want (to punish your family, because they are driving you cray-cray) by adding Chile de àrbol and hot smoked paprika. If I have preserved lemons on hand, I sometimes blend one of those with this tasty paste too.
8-10 tender sweet medium or small sized Spring carrots, washed (but not peeled), stems trimmed.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Tahini Labneh Dip:
8oz Labneh or Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup tahini
4 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Harissa:
5 dried guajillo chiles
4 dried ancho chiles
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted
3 garlic cloves, smashed
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1½ teaspoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika (use hot if you want to make spicy)
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup olive oil,
Harissa Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons harissa
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, ground
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1 large spring onion, or 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
Sea salt, to taste
2 springs of mint, leaves torn
Ingredients
To Plate
Spoon a large mound of the tahini yogurt in the center of a large shallow bowl or a serving plate and artfully arrange the carrots over. Spoon the harissa vinaigrette around the outside of the yogurt and a little over the top of the carrots. Dot with torn fresh mint and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Devour!
How To
For the Harissa: place guajillo and ancho chiles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over to submerge, place a small dish on top if necessary to keep them under water. let them sit until chiles are soft, about 5-10 minutes. Drain, seed and de-stem.
In a vitaprep, wurr toasted spices then add garlic, and pulse until a paste forms. Add chiles and pulse. Add lemon juice, vinegar, tomato paste, paprika, and salt and process until smooth.
Drizzle in olive oil with the motor running until it is incorporated. You can keep harissa in a bowl with an olive oil float for two weeks.
For the Labneh-Tahini Dip: simply whisk the labneh (or Greek yogurt) with tahini, honey and sea salt. Taste and adjust to your liking. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
For the Roasted Carrots: Heat the oven to 425˚F. Toss the carrots with the olive oil and sprinkle sea salt over. Spread the carrots over a baking sheet and roast until tender-crisp and the skins are blistered a little. Set aside and allow to cool. They can be served cold or at room temperature.
For the Harissa Vinaigrette: in a medium sized bowl mix 1/4 cup olive oil with the sugar, harissa, vinegar, spices and salt to taste. Add the thinly sliced onion and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
