Spice-Roasted Carrots With Lentils
Ingredients
Directions
For the Carrots
3 lb
real baby carrots or other small carrots, preferably mixed colors, scrubbed if organic, peeled if not
3 tbsp
extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp
ground coriander
1 tsp
paprika
1 tsp
ground cumin
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ c
tender fresh herb leaves, such as cilantro, dill, tarragon, mint, and/or basil, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
¼ c
finely sliced pitted medjool dates, dried figs, or prunes
For the Lentils
1 lb
dried black beluga lentils or French green lentils
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ c
extra-virgin olive oil
1
large onion, quartered lengthwise, peeled, and thinly sliced crosswise
2
large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp
ground coriander
1 tsp
ground cumin
½ tsp
ground cinnamon
3 tbsp
fresh lemon juice
1 c
fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
plain yogurt, for serving (optional)
Spice-Roasted Carrots With Lentils
At Vedge, one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia, chef Rich Landau makes carrot “schwarma” with black lentils, an incredible Middle Eastern–spiced dish that I constantly crave. It’s flavorful and satisfying, as well as healthy, without feeling overly virtuous. I end up making versions of his dish regularly from October to April. For this iteration, I add dates and tons of herbs. While this could certainly be a side dish for a large roast, I think it stands on its own as a vegetarian or vegan main course.
8-16 servings
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss the carrots with the olive oil, coriander, paprika, and cumin, and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread the carrots out on the baking sheets.
- Roast, rotating the baking sheets halfway through and shaking the carrots, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the carrots are nicely browned and tender. Let the carrots cool slightly, then transfer to a large bowl and toss with the herbs and dates.
- In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and season generously with salt. Cook, stirring frequently until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. (If you want even more flavor, cook for 15 minutes longer for deeply browned onions.) Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the lentils and reserved cooking liquid, and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and the cilantro.
- Arrange the lentils on a platter and top with the carrots. Garnish with more herb leaves and dollops of yogurt on top (or alongside), if desired, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Reprinted from Modern Potluck. Copyright © 2016 by Kristin Donnelly. Photographs copyright © 2016 by Yossy Arefi. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
