Grilled Carrots With Yogurt, Carrot-Top Oil and Dukkah
You can serve these carrots with Greek yogurt, or with homemade labneh, if you start the night before (see Tip below). This recipe calls for making your own dukkah: You’ll have more than you need, but keep any leftovers in a sealed container to sprinkle over salads, grilled meat or fish. A bunch of carrots from your farmers’ market will work best here, but you can also use regular carrots that have been halved or quartered lengthwise. If you can’t find bunches of carrots with their fresh tops, you can prepare the oil using parsley instead, or double the tarragon for an even more herbaceous version. Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients FOR THE CARROTS AND CARROT-TOP OIL:
2¼ pounds (6-inch) carrots with greens attached ¾ cup roughly chopped fresh
tarragon leaves
½ cup olive oil, plus more for
greasing the pan Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper
3 tablespoons honey (runny
honey)
1 tablespoon plus 1½
teaspoons apple cider vinegar 1M cups full-fat Greek yogurt
FOR THE DUKKAH:
¼ cup blanched hazelnuts,
toasted
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted 2 tablespoons coriander seeds,
toasted
1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons black and white sesame seeds, toasted 1 teaspoon cumin seeds,
toasted
1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon sweet paprika ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Wash and peel the carrots and trim the tops, leaving about 1 inch of the greens attached. Measure out 1 packed cup leafy carrot tops and wash well to get rid of any grit. Squeeze out as much water as possible, and pat dry. Roughly chop the carrot tops then transfer them to a blender.
Add the tarragon, 6½ tablespoons oil and a small pinch of salt. Blitz until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed, then transfer the mixture to a finemesh sieve set over a bowl. Strain the mixture, extracting as much oil as possible. (You should have about 3 tablespoons.) Discard the solids.
Meanwhile, prepare a steamer for your carrots by heating water in your steamer or setting a colander over a large pot with a few inches of simmering water. Once ready, add the carrots and steam for 10 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the thick parts with a knife but the carrots are not overly soft. Transfer the carrots to a large, shallow dish along with the remaining 1½ tablespoons oil, plus ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Toss to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk the honey, vinegar and a tiny pinch of salt. Set aside.http://www.
Make the dukkah: Add all the dukkah ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times until the nuts are roughly chopped. (You should have 1 scant cup.)
Heat a well-oiled grill pan over high. Working in a few batches to avoid overcrowding, grill the carrots on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer the grilled carrots to the bowl with the honey dressing, and toss gently to combine.
Season the yogurt with ¼ teaspoon salt, then spread it out on a large platter. Drizzle all over with the carrot-top oil then add the carrots, arranging them artfully so they’re all facing the same direction. Spoon a generous amount of dukkah on top and pass the rest.
Tips: To make your own labneh, combine 2¾ cups plain full-fat yogurt with ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl. Transfer the mixture to a colander lined with cheesecloth or a clean tea towel, folding the overhang over the yogurt. Place the colander over a larger bowl and top with a couple cans or other heavy items to apply weight to the mixture. Refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours, then squeeze out any excess liquid and transfer the labneh to a container.