Roasted carrots seem like a perfect
realization of everything a carrot should be: their blunt crunch softened, their
sweetness concentrated, their smooth facade pleasantly crinkled. In practice,
though, they can have a hard time living up to their promise: They don’t cook
through, they burn, they somehow wind up flavorless. This recipe, from ABC
Kitchen restaurant in New York City, does away with all of that.
By boiling the carrots in salted water first,
briefly, while you put together their garlic-thyme-cumin marinade, they’ll roast
much more quickly, and nothing will burn. You’ll also put half an orange and
half a lemon in the roasting pan with them and use juices from the roasted
citrus for the dressing. With this simple move, the dressing takes on a new
dimension—mellow, sweet acid layered on bright. Construct your salad: your
perfectly roasted carrots, wedges of avocado, a bramble of sprouts and herbs,
crème fraîche, and citrusy dressing, sunflower and sesame seeds skittered all
over.
Serves 4
2 pounds (900g) small carrots (3
inches/7.5cm long and ½ inch/1.3cm thick) or large carrots, peeled, quartered,
and cut into 3-inch (7.5cm) segments (about 4 cups/950ml)
Kosher salt
1 orange, one half juiced, the
other left whole
1 lemon, one half juiced, the
other left whole
½ cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive
oil
1 teaspoon cumin
seeds
2 medium cloves
garlic
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
leaves
1 teaspoon red wine
vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
flakes
Freshly ground black
pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 avocado, peeled and cut into 12
wedges
2 cups (about 60g) mixed baby
sprouts, herbs, and microgreens
¼ cup (60g) crème
fraîche
2 tablespoons toasted sunflower
seeds
2 teaspoons toasted sesame
seeds
1 Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) with an oven rack
in the center.
2 Place the carrots in a saucepan and cover them with
cold water. Season the water with a few pinches of salt, set the pan over high
heat, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the
carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the carrots and transfer them to a
rimmed baking sheet.
3 Combine 1 teaspoon each of the orange and lemon
juices, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the cumin, garlic, thyme, vinegar, and red
pepper flakes in a blender and blend until smooth. Season the marinade to taste
with salt and pepper. Add the marinade and the unjuiced citrus halves to the
carrots and toss with your hands until evenly combined. Roast until the carrots
are slightly shriveled with a few brown spots, about 20 minutes, tossing
occasionally with a spatula to brown them evenly. Allow the carrots to cool to
room temperature.
4 Once they’ve cooled slightly, squeeze the juice from
the roasted citrus halves into a small bowl. Add the remaining fresh citrus
juices, remaining 6 tablespoons (90ml) olive oil, and the sugar. Season the
dressing to taste with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
5 Divide the carrots and avocado slices among four
plates and top with the greens. Add 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche to each salad.
Sprinkle sunflower seeds and sesame seeds over each plate. Drizzle several
tablespoons of the dressing over and around each salad (reserve any remaining
dressing for another use) and serve immediately
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