3 carrot recipes: cedar roasted carrots, Moroccan carrot & orange salad, carrot jam coated carrots

Moroccan carrot and orange salad 

Serves one or two for lunch

I had something like this at Grainstore in Kings Cross. It was just the ticket for a grim January day, using the sparkling freshness of winter citrus, and the textural sweet bite of carrots. This is my version. You’ll need a spiraliser or julienne peeler to make this salad. I’ve been using a julienne peeler which is a cheaper version of the spiraliser but I think I may now invest in the real thing. I’m a big fan of all carrot salads, including the classic French starter carrottes rapées (recipe in my Supper Club book). I can eat a big bowl of carrot salad by myself.

4 good stiff carrots, spiralised
2 oranges, peeled, pith removed, segmented
1 red onion, julienned (optional)

Dressing:
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp of orange flower water
4 tbsp of olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp of rose harissa
1 tsp of sea salt

Garnish with rose petals if you want to get fancy.

Prepare the carrots and oranges and red onion (if using). Here is the easiest way to segment an orange. Make the dressing by mixing together all the ingredients and toss the salad (with your hands if you wish). The great thing about carrot salad is that it doesn’t ‘burn’ as the French say, once it has the dressing. It will last two or three days in the fridge.

Carrot marmalade, carrot juice, simmered carrots

Serves 4 as a side

I’ve just discovered carrot jam or marmalade in a local shop. I decided to braise some carrots in this sweet confection which resulted in a delicious sticky carrot glaze. I’m also a big fan of cooking vegetables in their own juices, hence the carrot juice.

500g carrots, sliced into 1cm slices
3 tbsps of carrot jam
200ml of carrot juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp of sea salt

Garnish with fresh parsley or coriander

Place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan on a medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Cedar roasted carrots with birch syrup

Ever since I visited Alaska last summer, I’ve been experimenting with Alaskan ingredients like Birch syrup and cedar sheets. Birch is very similar to maple syrup, with a slightly more resinous flavour and reddish hue. I’m not sure you can get it here in the UK, unless of course, you tap your own syrup from birch trees like this guy. The homesteader that lurks within me would love to have a go at tapping maple and birch trees, so I also bought a tap from the same suppliers. I find it incredible that trees naturally produce their own sweet syrup. Trees are amazing. (Trite phrase of year perhaps but still!) To further emphasize the wonders of wood, I’m using cedar sheets, that I also bought in Alaska, for roasting which will give them a smoky wood flavour. The nearest I’ve found in the UK are these.
Maple syrup, brown rice syrup, agave syrup, are all good vegan replacements for honey, which strict vegans will not eat. You can replace the birch syrup with any of these ingredients for this recipe. Carrots are one of the sweetest vegetables, roasting boosts the caramelisation anyway.

2 sheets cedar or wood papers
500g baby carrots or large carrots, quartered
50ml Birch or maple syrup
4 tbsps Smoked oak rapeseed oil
1 tsp smoked sea salt or red wine salt

Soak the wood papers for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 200cº. Then spread the cedar wood papers on a flat baking tray. Place the carrots on top of the wood papers. Drizzle with the syrup, oil and salt.  Roast for 20 minutes or until the carrots are caramelised at the edges.