Moroccan Style Roasted Carrots

Moroccan Style Roasted Carrots

I have been looking for more interesting ways to serve vegetables. Especially in the early spring, before all the summer vegetables gets in the stores.

The combination of flavors and textures from the dressing and topping really elevate the humble carrot into something special. These carrots are a new favorite, so I recommend to make plenty.

We had these carrots as a part of a Moroccan themed dinner, with roasted leg of lamb seasoned with ras el hanout, roasted cauliflower with tahini dressing and couscous.

The recipe is adapted from Julie Bruun.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 carrots (the small ones with the top or thin snack carrots

• Oil for the baking

• A sprinkle of salt

  Dressing:

• 100 ml Greek style yogurt

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ½ teaspoon ground coriander

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon salt

  Topping:

• Fresh tarragon, chopped

• Almonds, roasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven for 425℉ / 220℃.

Wash the carrots, and trim off most of green top part. Place the carrots in an ovenproof dish, and toss them with oil and a sprinkle of salt.

Roast the carrots for 15-20 minutes. Let the carrots cool for a minute, before adding dressing and topping.

Serve the carrots immediately.

Enjoy!

Green Bean and Asparagus Salad with Lemony Feta Dressing

Green Bean and Asparagus Salad with Lemony Feta Dressing.

This salad is a fresh and crisp side perfect for a summer BBQ. The creamy lemony feta dressing makes it a perfect parring to almost everything. It’s great with fish, chicken and even for ribs or roasts.

I was in search of a salad without leafy greens, a more crunchy salads. Previously I have been using green beans and snap peas for this, so I added some extra crunch with asparagus and radishes. The cheesy lemony dressing was a mix of my love of feta mixed with the taste of the lemon pepper pasta.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

• 200g green beans, trimmed

• 1 bunch (10-15) asparagus, trimmed

• 125g snap peas

• 10 radishes, sliced

Dressing:

• 1 lemon, the juice from

• 2 tablespoons lemon olive oil

• 75g feta cheese

• freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Wash and trim snap peas, asparagus, and green beans. For the asparagus I hold each stalk about half way down its length, and at the thick end. Then bend the stalk until it snaps, discard the thick end. This way you only get the good crispy part of the asparagus.

Blanch the vegetables for 1 minute, by adding the vegetables to a large pot of boiling water. With a slotted spoon remove the vegetables from the boiling water and plunge them in a large bowl with ice water. Cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces. Spread the vegetables in a shallow bowl, and sprinkle the sliced radishes on top.

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing, using a fork to incorporate the feta to the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad, and mix it well.

Serve the salad as a side to your favorite protein, or to your summer BBQ.

Asparagus with Sauce Mousseline

Asparagus with Sauce Mousseline and shrimps.

Fresh white asparagus is a spring favorite. Here I mixed the expensive white asparagus with some cheaper green ones, making it obvious that the white asparagus are a tad sweeter.

Sauce Mousseline is basically a Hollandaise sauce, where you fold in some soft whipped cream. making as lighter, more airy sauce.

You can serve this as an appetizer or as a main dish by adding some green lettuce and a slice of good bread.

Serves 2-4.

Ingredients:

• 8 white asparagus

• 8 green asparagus

• 1 tablespoon butter (for cooking the asparagus)

• 1 teaspoon salt (for cooking the asparagus)

• green lettuce, I used field salad/cornsalad/mache lettuce

• hollandaise sauce

• heavy whipping cream, you need about 2-3 tablespoons soft whipped cream

• 150 g cold water schrimp

Directions:

Make the Hollandaise sauce, and make it come to room temperature. Whisk the cream to a soft peak, so it’s ready to fold into the hollandaise just before serving.

Wash all the asparagus.

The green ones: Hold each spear about half way down its length and at the thick end. Now bend it until it snaps. Discard the  little stub, or use it for flavor in a soup or casserole. 

The white ones: Cut just under 1 inch (2 cm) off the bottom. Using a vegetable peeler, and starting just under the tip of each spear, peel away the tough outer layer.
Bring about 2 inches (5 cm) water to a boil in a a large shallow pot, add salt and butter. Add the white asparagus and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the green asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes, until the spears are tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on a dry kitchen towel to briefly dry. Serve the asparagus immediately placing it on top of some green lettuce.

Fold in the soft whipped cream in the room temperature hollandaise, so it ends up light and airy. Spoon the now sauce mousseline over the asparagus and sprinkle the shrimps on top before serving.

Enjoy!

Hollandaise in a blender

Homemade hollandaise on my favorite Eggs Benedict.

Hollandaise have always been a thing used with fish. But after moving to the USA, I realized hollandaise can be used for so much more. And I became a huge fan. But there is hollandaise and then there is real hollandaise. The store bought, even the ones made from a powder like Knorr, can be used as a shortcut, but tastewise it needs an adjustment with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. But when you get the real deal, you know why this sauce is so extremely popular.

If you are making eggs Benedicts for 2-4 people, you only need half a portion.

Makes a big portion.

Ingredients:

• 250 g salted butter, clarified

• 4 egg yolks

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

• ½ lemon, the juice from

Directions:

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over very low heat.  Let simmer gently until the foam rises to the top of the melted butter. Once the butter stops spluttering, and no more foam seems to be rising to the surface, remove from heat and skim off the foam with a spoon. The foam is the milk solids from the butter. Ladle the butterfat into another saucepan leaving the water and residue behind. You can also pour the butterfat through some cheesecloth. Keep the butterfat warm.
The clarified butter should be about 172℉ (77℃).

Add egg yolks, lemon juice in a blender. Blend until foaming. With the blender running add ⅓ of the butter in a slow steady stream, yes it will splatter. Once it emulsifies, turn the blender speed up to high and add the remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper and blend for another second.

Use the hollandaise for your favorite fish or on a eggs Benedict.

Enjoy!

Ratatouille

Ratatouille.

Ratatouille is a French vegetable stew. Back in the days it was characterized as peasant food, because vegetables were cheap.

In this version the vegetables are thinly sliced, and arranged nicely in the tomato sauce. I looks like it takes forever, but if you slice all the vegetables first, it only takes a few minutes, and looks like a million dollars.

We often have ratatouille as a side dish or served with rice and a slice of some good bread. Sprinkle some fresh shaved parmesan cheese on the ratatouille as you serve it, and it takes it over the top. Another advantage by cooking it like this is, that you get some nice caramelization of the vegetables, which gives added flavor to the dish.
Pick good quality vegetables, because this is a rather simple dish, and the vegetables are the stars, so the better the vegetables the better the dish. I normally use canned tomatoes for the sauce, but you can easily substitute it with crushed fresh tomatoes, it might even be better.

Leftovers will keep a day or two in the refrigerator, and are fantastic as breakfast with a poached egg, kinda like a Shakshuka.

Serves 3-4 as a side

Ingredients:

• 1 can crushed tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, about 3-4 large leaves, sliced

• 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence spice mix

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon chili powder

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

• 1-2 large zucchini, I used both summer squash and zucchini

• 1 Japanese eggplant, or regular eggplant, with quartered slices

• 3-4 large fresh tomatoes, sliced

• 2-3 small bell peppers, sliced
  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Lightly grease a 9" baking dish and set aside. I used a round dish here, but any ovenproof dish will do.

In a mixing bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes, oil and vinegar, and stir in salt and the other spices.

Pour the tomato mixture into the prepared baking dish in an even layer..

Ratatouille ready to serve.

Stack the veggie slices in alternating patters, you don't have to go all OCD on this, it will be pretty no matter how you do this. The most important thing is to spread the onions around, so it spreads its flavor throughout.

Sprinkle a little olive oil on top to encourage the caramelization of the vegetables.

Bake for about an hour, until the tomato sauce is bubbling and the veggies are tender, but not mushy.

Serve the ratatouille hot or warm.

Enjoy!