I tasted a Moroccan Carrot Spread at the Duluth Whole Foods Co-op and loved the creamy texture and sweet carrot taste with spices. So I looked for a similar recipe on-line and found this one from Paulette Mitchell, a culinary instructor, and author of 10 cookbooks, including her 15-Minute Gourmet cookbook series. The list of ingredients was nearly identical to the one at the Co-op, but her recipe did not include parsley, so I added it to this recipe. The key to the creamy texture is cooking the carrots until they are very tender. I had never tried cooking carrots in the microwave before, and I have to admit that it was much quicker than my usual stove-top method.
Ingredients:
1 pound carrots (about 8), cut into 1" chunks 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preparation:
Put the carrots in a medium microwave-proof dish; add about 1/4 cup water. Cover tightly and microwave on high for about 8 minutes, or until very tender. (Or cook the carrots in a stovetop steamer.) Drain well.
Transfer the carrots to a food processor; process until mashed. Add the remaining ingredients. Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Bring to room temperature for serving.
Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 5
 |
| Food processing the ingredients |
Calories: 89
Total Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 64 mg
Total Carbs: 9 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 1 g