Tag: carrots

Sweet and Tangy Braised Chickpeas

Hearty and delicious. Serve with bread or cornbread, and/or over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or polenta/grits.

Cheap Worcestershire sauce is often vegetarian (check the label for anchovies).

In this recipe, I like to use the Better than Bouillon paste because it can make arbitrarily volumes of stock, and because the water can enter the pan already hot from being boiled in the kettle.

Ingredients Step
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4 T olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
Heat oil in a large, deep cast iron skillet with oven-safe lid, then saute onion.
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Add garlic.
2-3 carrots, in ¼-½" chunks
1-2 c. other chopped vegetables (e.g., celery, fennel, winter squash, cabbage, parsnip, potato, cauliflower)
1 t. salt
⅛ t. red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste
Saute vegetables. Season.
4 T. tomato paste (half a can)
1 T. brown sugar
Add and cook until well-incorporated.
3 c. vegetable stock
⅓ c. red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
2 t. Worcestershire or soy sauce
3 cups chickpeas (1 cup from dry, or 2 rinsed cans)
1 bay leaf
Bring to simmer, then cover tightly with lid and transfer to oven.
possibly: 1 c. vegetable stock Braise for 60 minutes, then check and add 1 c. additional broth if necessary. Braise for another 30 minutes (for 90 minutes in total).
Discard bay leaf and season to taste before serving.

Source: Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen)

Broccolini Romesco Sandwiches

The romesco sauce is phenomenal. I didn't even think I liked romesco....

I lean toward broccolini over broccoli here because broccolini will lay flatter, but both would be fine.

Serve on ciabatta or pan de cristal.

Ingredients Step
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1 t. red pepper flakes
3 T olive oil
Toss together. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in bottom third of oven at 425 degrees until vegetables are tender and well-browned, about 25-30 minutes.
2 lb. (4 bunches?) broccolini Separate the florets from stalks. Thinly slice the stalks.
broccolini
¼ c. oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
salt
Toss broccoli in oil. Roast in top third of oven at 425 until florets are charred and stems are cooked through (but still a bit crunchy), for 16-18 minutes.
2 t. sherry vinegar
salt
Pour vinegar over roasted broccolini. Salt to taste.
carrot mixture
2 T. sherry vinegar
Pulse together in food processor until smooth.
½ c. olive oil
salt
Drizzle in to food processor while running, scraping sides as needed, until emulsified. Season to taste.
4 rolls (8") Split rolls. Toast in oven until light brown, about 3 minutes.
8 1-ounce slices provolone For each sandwich, spread romesco on both the top and bottom rolls. Pile broccolini on the bottom half, and top with provolone. Toast sandwiches until cheese is just melted, about 2 minutes. Close and cut cross-wise, then serve.

Source: Bon Appetit

Turkish-style Carrots and Lentils

Easy peasy. I prefer French green lentils, but regular green (aka brown) lentils work fine too, and they're much easier to find. Black lentils are also reasonable to use.

Serve on its own, or possibly with a heavy grain like farro or barley. I served the first attempt with a green salad and focaccia (with Michael).

Ingredients Step
1 c. lentils (green/brown/black)
3 c. water
Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. When done (they may still be slightly undercooked), strain into a colander set over a bowl -- we want to retain the cooking liquid.
oil
1 onion, sliced thin into half moons
Heat oil in large skillet. Cook until onion is tender.
½ c. mint Chop.
1 t. ground coriander Stir into onions.
4 cloves garlic, minced
1½ lb. carrots, sliced thin (about 4 cups)
salt to taste
Cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes, until carrots begin to soften.
⅓ c. passata
⅔ c. water
1 t. sugar
parcooked lentils
enough water to cover the lentils (ideally the lentil cooking water)
salt to taste
half the mint
Stir in. Bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes, until lentils are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Taste and adjust salt, then remove from heat.
half the mint Sprinkle on top. Serve.

Source: Martha Rose Shulman (NYT Cooking)

Somali Red Lentil Stew (Maraq Misir)

Delicious. Makes 6 servings.

If you really want to go all out, you can toast any of the spices that you have whole, then grind them. Add the other pre-ground spices at the end.

Serve chunky or blended, with salad or rice or bread.

Ingredients Step
oil
1 large white onion, diced
Saute in large pot until translucent.
1½ c. red lentils Rinse in colander.
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 t. cumin
1 t. coriander
½ t. black pepper
⅛ t. cloves
⅛ t. cinnamon
⅛ t. cardamom
½ t. turmeric
1½ t. salt
Measure.
1.5 c passata (equivalent to 6 Romas)
rinsed red lentils
1 large carrot, diced
¾ c. cilantro, diced
spices
6 c. warm water
Add to the onions, stir, and cover pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked, about 25 minutes.

Source: Ifrah F. Ahmed (NYT Cooking)

Carrot White Bean Salad

A lovely salad that works as a side dish for omnivores and an entree for vegetarians (easily vegan-izable).

Substituting other herbs and sweeteners works well. Thyme and maple syrup, for instance, is another nice combination.

Have it ready a bit before serving; it improves as it sits.

Ingredients Step
scant ¼ c. olive oil
heaping ⅓ c. shallot, very thinly sliced
Saute briefly, just enough to take off the raw onion edge.
warmed shallots and oil
3 T. lemon juice
¼ c. dill, chopped
scant ¼ t. salt
Combine and adjust dressing to taste. Don't sweeten yet. Set aside.
4 carrots, sliced (~2 c.)
olive oil
Saute the carrots in batches so they stay in a single layer, until deeply browned (~12 minutes per layer).
3 c. white beans (2 cans) Add. Cook about 5 minutes, until the beans are heated through.
dressing
~2 T. honey
Stir dressing in. Sweeten to taste (consider the carrots).
⅓ c. sliced almonds, toasted Serve with toasted almonds.

Source: Heidi Swanson (101 Cookbooks)