Harissa Carrots

I first fell in love with Nigel Slater when I saw Nigel Slater’s Simple Cooking Series. His delicious simple fare is out of this world and what he does with wholesome ingredients is simply inspiring. I still remember his hot apples with homemade custard to demonstrate the contrast between hot and cold foods and his golden baked sticky pork ribs to showcase the use of sugar and spice. His lentil and pumpkin stew topped off with cooling sour cream is also an absolute winner and is a recipe that I constantly have in my recipe book holder.

This harissa carrot recipe is based on that out of Nigel Slater’s EAT cookbook. However, because garlic is so darn hard to find at the moment, I had to improvise by using the humble onion instead – they were still utterly delicious. Who knew you could do such things with a dressing on carrots!

Harissa Carrots - serves 4

Enough baby carrots from the garden for 4 people, scrubbed and leaves trimmed (if you don’t have carrots in your garden, just use carrots from the green grocer or supermarket)
1 small onion, finely diced and lightly fried in a little olive oil and salt
4 Tbspn Olive Oil
1 Tbspn white wine vinegar
1 Tbspn Dijon mustard
1 free-range egg yolk
1-2 Tbspn Harissa powder/paste
1 Tbspn Olive oil and a little butter for cooking the carrots

Cut the larger carrots in half lengthways and if you need too, quarters
Steam the carrots for 2-3 minutes or until bright orange and just tender. Cool and set aside (you can prepare the carrots up until this step ahead of time).
Place the onion in a mortar and pestle and mash roughly. Blend with the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, egg yolk and harissa.
Heat a pan over a medium heat and add a little olive oil and the butter. Add the carrots to the pan and cook until they are just golden and warmed through. Place the carrots on a serving dish and pour over the harissa dressing.
Top with freshly chopped herbs such as coriander, mint or parsley
Serve with grilled beef, lamb or chicken or simply with brown rice or quinoa.