Spicy & Sweet Roasted Carrots
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: Serves 3 as main course, 6 as appetizer
Created by
Queer Eye's food & wine expert, Antoni Porowski, for our 2022 Summer Solstice Farm to Table Dinner!
Ingredients:
For the carrots:
1.5lbs rainbow carrots (weighed after trimming tops!)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 T Maple syrup
1/4 tsp cayenne
1.5 tsp cumin seeds
1.5 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Salt
Black Pepper
For the topping:
8 Simple Mills Original Organic Seed Flour Crackers
1/4 cup whole raw almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin/coriander spice mix (leftover from carrots)
Instructions:
For the carrots:
PREHEAT baking sheet in 450 degree oven
PEEL carrots and cut in half lengthwise if they’re large. Keep 1” of stem on them.
SAVE carrot tops, wash and set aside to dry.
IN a small pan, toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds until toasty and fragrant. Using a mortar and pestle, coarsely grind. Set 1/2 tsp aside.
IN a large bowl combine olive oil, maple syrup, cayenne, Paprika, apple cider vinegar and salt. Add remaining ground cumin and coriander. Mix until fully combined.
CAREFULLY remove baking sheet from oven.
TOSS carrots in mixture, and spread evenly onto baking sheets, making sure to leave enough space between them.
BAKE on the hottest rack in your oven at 450° for about 15 minutes, or until they are fork tender* and charred in some places, mixing them and turning them over halfway through. Add a little bit more oil if they’re sticking.
If they are done cooking but not charred, you can place them under the broiler for 1 minute- watching carefully!
*ovens vary so pay more attention to doneness than time. It may take more time depending on the size of your carrots, and temperature of your oven.
For the topping:
GRIND crackers until they’re the size of breadcrumbs. (Should yield about 1/4 cup)
Finely chop 1/4 cup of whole almonds, they should be the size of lentils.
COMBINE ground crackers and almonds in a small bowl, and add a pinch of salt, and olive oil, to moisten. Then mix to combine.
IN a small pan, toast mixture until lightly golden. When done, remove from heat and add the left over 1 tsp of cumin and coriander seeds. Set aside to cool.
Next steps:
ROUGHLY chop 1/4 cup dried apricots (1/2 inch pieces) and toss with roasted carrots using tongs. Let cool to room temperature.
SEED a pomegranate to yield a 1/2 cup of arils.
To plate:
SPREAD a heaping spoonful of coconut yogurt onto a plate covering most of the surface area with a thin layer.
PILE on a portion of the carrots/apricots and top with the breadcrumb/nut spice mixture, a handful of pomegranate arils, and a healthy drizzle of Graza olive oil.
LASTLY, with your hands, tear washed & dried carrot tops into smaller pieces, leaving the leaves intact. In a small bowl, toss carrot tops with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt.
PILE a small handful of carrot top salad onto your carrots, then finish with a few grinds of black pepper.
ENJOY!