Cumin Carrots with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Cumin Carrots with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Cumin Carrots with Cilantro Vinaigrette -- TheMessyBaker.com

Fool me once, shame of you. Fool me twice (a dozen times), shame, shame, double-shame on me. It took years, but I learned my lesson. No Newspaper Recipes. None. Do not clip them for me. I will throw them out. Do not make them for me, I will show no mercy when they (inevitably) fail. Do not ask me to give it a quick look to see if “this one will work.” If it’s a recipe and it’s on newsprint, I’ll hand it back without a glance, singing the title phrase from The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

Given my anti-newspaper-recipe bias, it’s more than a little surprising that I’m about to share this recipe from The Toronto Star . Yes, it’s a newspaper. Yes it’s a recipe. And it’s good. Family members will call me a hypocrite. I say I’m open minded.

What changed my mind? Other than the recipes were handpicked by food editor Jennifer Bain? The Toronto Star is “Canada’s only newsroom-based test kitchen.” This explains so much. So very very much.

Cumin Carrots with Cilantro Vinaigrette - TheMessyBaker.com

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Cumin Carrots with Cilantro Vinaigrette

This quick and simple carrot recipe is loaded with flavour. Honey, cilantro and a hint of garlic turn this common root vegetable into something special.

  • Author: Charmian Chrisite
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 8 mins
  • Total Time: 23 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Side Dish

Ingredients

Scale

Cilantro Vinaigrette

  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) liquid honey
  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped cilantro

Carrots

  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cumin
  • 1 lb (450 g) carrots, peeled and thinly sliced in rounds
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Cilantro Vinaigrette

  1. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice and honey in a small bowl, then whisk in the cilantro.

Carrots

  1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cumin, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook, stirring, until they’re only half cooked, about 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the slices.
  2. Transfer the carrots to a serving bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss well. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the carrots warm or at room temperature.

Notes

My notes:
• For a vegan version, use agave nectar instead of honey.
• Stovetops and pans vary. I found the garlic burned on medium-high heat. I cooked mine on medium-low and then upped the heat when I added the carrots.

Recipe is from Toronto Star Cookbook: More than 150 Diverse and Delicious Recipes Celebrating Ontario by Jennifer Bain. Published by Random House ©2013.

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12 Comments
  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 16:45h, 04 April

    Blarghh. Sorry about that. I’ve updated the recipe to include 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin. Thanks for letting me know.

  • Catherine
    Posted at 17:13h, 04 April

    Very Moroccan looking. I once cut out an amazing carrot cake recipe from a Detroit newspaper and made it again and again. It involved using a whole pureed orange, minus the seeds and inner pith. It was truly the best carrot cake recipe I ever ate and sadly I lost it during a move. Wish I could find it again.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 17:37h, 04 April

    Yes, Morocco does come to mind with this dish. I was pleased with how easy and tasty it is.

    Newspaper recipes rarely worked for me when I tried them, but then again, I lived in a small town. Detroit likely had more resources. Wonder if they still have that recipe in their archives? It’s likely not online though. Your cake sounds good. I’m now curious.

  • Ann Ferguson
    Posted at 16:33h, 04 April

    No mention of amount of cumin in recipe.

  • Ann Ferguson
    Posted at 16:56h, 04 April

    Thanks, the recipe sounds really good!

  • Catherine
    Posted at 06:07h, 05 April

    The two newspapers in Detroit were The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press. This would have been about 1980.
    Have googled for a similar recipe but never found one. I remember it said cut orange in half and remove seeds and inner membranes and then puree. No food processors in those days so just used a blender. Don’t remember if it used oil or butter, or the amount of spices or flour.

  • Catherine
    Posted at 06:18h, 05 April

    Hmm. Just googled carrot cake with pureed orange and it brought up the Sunkist.com site with a similar looking recipe! Am going to try it…..4 eggs though, which seems a lot to me.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 15:52h, 05 April

    Sounds intriguing. I have an orange muffin recipe that’s similar. No carrots though. As for the 4 eggs? They’re likely needed because the orange pulp is so thick and heavy.

    I love orange cake but find the flavour is never intense enough. I’d love to know how your turns out.

  • A Canadian Foodie
    Posted at 21:15h, 05 April

    Totally with you on the newspaper recipes. Martha Stewart’s recipes used to be the same. Looked SO good…. but were disastrous – and I do know how to cook! They are better now that she isn’t writing them herself… if she ever did…
    The flavours here are full of lively light. YUM!
    🙂
    V

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 23:01h, 05 April

    How things change. Martha Stewart is now quite reliable. I still veto newspaper recipes but now that I know the Toronto Star has a test kitchen, I’ll be more open to theirs! (Excerpted recipes are a different story).

    These carrots are lovely and bright and give me hope that spring will come and I can grow my own carrots once again.

    Thanks for taking the time to share your disaster story!

  • Catherine
    Posted at 12:16h, 06 April

    I suppose it depends on which oranges you use. Is Cara Cara one that you use? Don’t think we have them in the UK. The sunkist.com recipe said to use cinnamon and nutmeg for spices.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 16:13h, 07 April

    We have a very limited orange selection where I live (Ontario, Canada). I haven’t seen Cara Cara and usually use juice or navel oranges for cooking (depending on the use). The muffin recipe I have has no spices, just oranges. I’m going to revisit it and see if I can come up with a lighter, less stodgy version (the taste, however, is lovely). Thanks again for all the feedback. You’ve really got me thinking.