Caramelized Spiced Carrots and Parsnips Caitlin
The bar is always high for my husband's birthday dinner and these caramelized spiced carrots with honey and orange were a perfect side dish for lamb chops with port glaze (from a cooking blog I often consult) and roasted Brussel sprouts that made up the rest of the meal. These carrots are a new recipe for me and they are going to be a 'keeper'. Usually when company comes for dinner I don't try new recipes, but the pressure to create something that is over the top delicious, for this one meal of the year, makes me hunt far and wide for recipes that might make the grade. This one passed the test, and I hope you'll enjoy the tantalizing combination of honey, orange, sweet root vegetables, and aleppo chili in this dish as much as I did.
I didn't have enough carrots for this recipe, so ended up using half parsnips and half carrots. It didn't detract from the final dish; in fact, I think it made it more visually appealing. Next time, I'm going to try and make it only with carrots though. I also dissolved a pinch of saffron in the orange juice (as you can see below), and cut back on the oil which made the carrots a bit drier, but also even more delicious and sweetly caramelized.
Aleppo Chile is one ingredient that makes this dish shine. They are named for a town in Northern Syria (and also produced in Turkey). To substitute, I would suggest adding a 1/8 tsp cayenne powder or red chile flakes to replicate the heat they give, or 1/4 tsp of ancho chile powder. These measurements just give a hint of flavour, so if you like your dishes hotter, feel free to boos the amount of chile in this recipe.
Caramelized Spiced Carrots and Parsnips with Honey and Orange
Adapted from Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes by Diane Morgan
¼ tsp peppercorns
¼ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp anise seeds
2lb carrots and parsnips peeled and cut into diagonal slices, about ½ inch thick or a little thicker
1 tb olive oil (I omitted this when I made it)
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground Aleppo Chile
3 tsp freshly grated orange zest. I zested about half of a large orange.
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (I dissolved a pinch of saffron in the OJ to add a little extra flavour)
3tb honey
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Place a cast iron or heavy frying pan over high heat, toast the spices in the pan, stirring constantly until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool and then grind to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Alternatively, if you are using preground spices, skip this step!
Line a large roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Place the cut carrots and parsnips in a large bowl and toss with oil, ground spices, salt, Aleppo Chile, orange juice, and zest until well coated. Transfer carrots and all juices from the bowl to the roasting pan and cover tightly with a piece of aluminum foil. Roast, stirring once, or shaking the pan in the oven to move vegetable around, until carrots are crisp-tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
Take out of the oven and add honey, toss to coat. Increase the heat to 425 degrees F and continue roasting, uncovered until carrots are tender and dark brown around the edges, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately or let cool and serve when warm, or barely warm or at room temperature.
Adapted from Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes by Diane Morgan
¼ tsp peppercorns
¼ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp anise seeds
2lb carrots and parsnips peeled and cut into diagonal slices, about ½ inch thick or a little thicker
1 tb olive oil (I omitted this when I made it)
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground Aleppo Chile
3 tsp freshly grated orange zest. I zested about half of a large orange.
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (I dissolved a pinch of saffron in the OJ to add a little extra flavour)
3tb honey
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Place a cast iron or heavy frying pan over high heat, toast the spices in the pan, stirring constantly until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool and then grind to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Alternatively, if you are using preground spices, skip this step!
Line a large roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Place the cut carrots and parsnips in a large bowl and toss with oil, ground spices, salt, Aleppo Chile, orange juice, and zest until well coated. Transfer carrots and all juices from the bowl to the roasting pan and cover tightly with a piece of aluminum foil. Roast, stirring once, or shaking the pan in the oven to move vegetable around, until carrots are crisp-tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
Take out of the oven and add honey, toss to coat. Increase the heat to 425 degrees F and continue roasting, uncovered until carrots are tender and dark brown around the edges, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately or let cool and serve when warm, or barely warm or at room temperature.