Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Spiced and Roasted Multi-Colored Organic Carrots



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...A simple grilled chicken gave me the time I needed to play with some new side dishes I wanted to serve for dinner last night. Once the chicken was dressed and ready for the grill, I transferred it to the capable hands of the Silver Fox, and moved on to our vegetable of the evening. It was a perfect time to try the multi-color carrots that have been tempting me for a while now. The ones in the market were gnarly in comparison to the beauties I've seen in magazines, but I figured with a little trimming they'd be a perfect companion for the chicken. I wanted something a little different than the roast carrots that I usually prepare, so I added some simple spices to the olive oil I use to coat the carrots before roasting them. I used a light hand with the spices because I didn't want them to mask the flavor of the carrots I had yet to try. I'm not quite sure what I expected, but I was a bit disappointed in the carrots. I thought they'd be wildly different in flavor than their orange cousins. That didn't prove to be the case. I found them to be less sweet and more fibrous than everyday carrots. Were it not for the novelty of color, I'd have been really disappointed. I won't bother with these again. Their flavor doesn't compensate for the additional cost it takes to get them to the table. I was, however, really pleased with the recipe I used to make them and will use it in the future for roasting ordinary garden variety carrots. If you are looking for a different way to prepare carrots, I think you'll like this recipe. Without further ado, here's my version of spiced and roasted carrots.

Spiced and Roasted Multi-Colored Organic Carrots...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 pounds organic multi-colored carrots, cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup white raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Combine oil, garlic, sugar, cumin, salt, cinnamon, cayenne and carrots in a shallow baking pan. Roast 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
3) Remove from oven and add raisins, lemon juice, and parsley. Toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.






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50 comments :

Kalyn Denny said...

What a gorgeous dish!

Diane said...

WOW that looks just fantastic, I have only ever seen orange carrots!! Diane

Lynn said...

They sure are pretty, I'm more of a purist though... I'll stick to orange. Love your recipe and roasted carrots are always a hit here:@)

Katarina said...

Oh, so pretty :)

That Girl said...

I almost picked up purple carrots at the farmer's market this week. They're so beautiful!

Mijú said...

Qué zanahorias!!! son lo más.
Un saludito

StephenC said...

The carrots are so beautiful!

Schnitzel and the Trout said...

They are very pretty, but it probably is difficult to improve on the great flavor of the orange carrot. Nice recipe.

Donna Elick said...

These look amazing! So very colorful.

Food Glorious Food! said...

Gorgeous dish!! Organic carrots are the best but too bad It's a little costly around here :) Thanks for sharing :)

Unknown said...

This looks amazing--and LOVE the colors! =) Happy Wednesday!

Lifewithspices said...

colorful n flavorful..

Alicia Foodycat said...

Wonderful colours! This looks gorgeous!

Rita said...

I discovered roasted carrots taste wonderful' will try your recipe.
Rita

Ryan said...

This is beautiful! I love all of the colors and can't wait to make this for a side. The blend of spices sounds great-- I think cinnamon and cumin would be delicious with roasted carrots. Looking forward to trying this!

From the Kitchen said...

I purchased some of the red carrots a few years ago and found them rather tasteless and not worth the money. I'm happy to have your recipe since I've been in a vegetable roasting rut--good but need a change up! Now I'm off to check out the radish salad I see at the end of your post.

Best,
bonnie

Kuki... said...

Well I'm out of touch...I didn't know there was a such thing as purple carrots! If it tastes as wonderful as it looks, it's a WINNER!

Heather S-G said...

I do love your spice mixture...it sounds lovely. I've found that with different colored carrots, you have to go with tiny, baby ones...they aren't as fibrous as the larger ones....and they taste pretty much just like an orange carrot then.

Wendy Irene said...

The color of those carrots is stunning! Cayenne pepper sounds like a wonderful idea. I love spice. Going to try the cayenne next time I make carrots. Have a lovely day!

David said...

Mary, As old as I am, I've never had multi-colored carrots! I do like them roasted best...but now I'll have to seek out colored carrots! I can't wait to try this recipe... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Gerry @Foodness Gracious said...

Beautiful as always! Roasting brings out so many unique flavors which can never be matched through any other form of cooking in my opinion,
Great post and thanks for sharing!

Karen ( Back Road Journal) said...

You have saved me time and money with the advice about the carrots. The multi-colored ones are expensive. I will however prepare nice small orange ones according to your recipe.

dr.antony said...

Multi color carrots! Looks so good!
Honestly I havent seen carrots of these colors.

Joanne said...

I'm sorry the carrots didn't live up to expectation, but they certainly make for a purrty dish!

pam said...

They may not taste any better, but they sure do make for a pretty dish!

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

I once tried multi-colored cauliflower and was kinda disappointed, too. But that won't keep me from trying carrots. If only I could find them! They certainly are pretty, though. And I love how roasting naturally sweetens the veggies.

nanny said...

So pretty....and oh all of those flavors combined...yummy!

Kelly said...

Multicolored carrots are one of my favorite farmers' market finds. I just got purple ones the other day and it was amusing because they were so richly purple that when I boiled them to throw in a dish they turned the cooking water purple. In hindsight, I should have saved it, let it concentrate down and used it to color some homemade pasta.

Ruth said...

Ooh! So pretty! These carrots look so lovely all together! I love carrots roasted so I'll have to keep an eye out for the different coloured varieties.

Unknown said...

Looks like an absolutely lovely bunch of roasted carrots, with such brilliant color!!

Elaine said...

I have not seen such pretty carrots at my market, but I am so sorry to hear that the flavor did not match their color. Such a beautiful presentation though!

KrithisKitchen said...

Wow.. this is super good.. you could send this to my event..

http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com
Event: Serve It - Grilled/Barbequed/Tandoored

Sue/the view from great island said...

I love roasted carrots, but haven't tried the multi-colored ones. Could it be that we've become used to the super sweet varieties of veggies that they've developed recently? Corn tastes positively like candy to me now, and I'm not sure I like it. I tasted an heirloom tomato the other day that had a kind of grassy twang (not sure how to put in it words!) that I liked. It's how I remember tomatoes tasting. Your carrots look beautiful, but fibrous doesn't sound too appealing. I'll have to track some down and have a taste test.

Simple cake recipes said...

I never imagined multicolored carrots in the same dish ..looks lovely and healthy!

Jocie's Mom said...

Well, at least you tried them. And they sure do look cool! I really like your new way of roasting them...nice flavors :)

Pam said...

I've only had orange carrots... this recipe makes me want to try the others now!

Maris(In Good Taste) said...

I have only had orange carrots but this is so pretty i am on the hunt for the colorful ones!

Susan Lindquist said...

Such a great recipe! I will be looking for the multi-colored carrots at our next farmer's market! Terrific, Mary!

Tanna said...

Mary, you think of the most wonderful combinations of flavors!! I will give this a try... with regular orange carrots. ;) Thank you, again. blessings ~ tanna

Unknown said...

How beautiful do those look? WOW! Mary, how is it that you can take things I normally are not to fond of and make them look so amazing that I want to devour them? I love raw carrots, but cooked has never been my favorite... These would not be fed to the dog in secrecy, believe me!!

Jeanette said...

I love the spices and raisins in your roasted carrot dish. Although the colorful carrots didn't taste as good as you had hoped, they are really pretty.

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

Our family thinks that carrots are one vegetable that really taste so much better if you guys organic. I love this recipe.

Fondly,
Glenda

Kim said...

Is there a better way to put colors on table? I don't think so!

Anonymous said...

I like how you can make simple carrots turn into an elegant and delicious looking dish. Great post!

penny aka jeroxie said...

I love the colourful carrot dish....

Epicurea said...

as one more interested in the flavor than the looks, thanks for the word of caution on the multicolored carrots. will stick with the regular ones but will definitely try your spice combination on them!

Rambling Tart said...

This is a stunningly gorgeous veggie dish, Mary, but you're right. They aren't worth the cost on an everyday basis. Love all the spices though. :-)

Nuts about food said...

I can't find different colored carrots here and have never had a chance to cook with them, so it is good to know they are not that exciting, that I am not missing out on anything. They do however look lovely and I am sure your recipe will be lovely on good old orange carrots.

Faith said...

What a truly stunning dish this is, Mary! I would love to find such gorgeous carrots in my area. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Terri @ that's some good cookin' said...

Yep, the carrots have great colors, but you are right about the flavor. A couple of years ago I experimented with about 7 or 8 different colors and varieties of carrots in my garden. The purple ones were beautiful, but lacked in flavor and texture. I have gone back to my tried and true varieties; all orange. That being said, I LOVE how your dish looks and I will be trying it to go with Sunday dinner.
Oh and P.S.: If I am not mistaken in my past research, carrots were originally purple or yellow. Ever noticed the purpleish hew that some carrots have near their top close to where the stem attaches (especially home grown carrots)?

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