Vaguely Middle-Eastern and Indian in influence, this is a colorful dish with surprising flavors. Remember, peeling purple carrots may render them simply orange, so use a scrub brush or wash cloth to gently clean the outside of these carrots and remove any hairy rootlets. Roasting the carrots deepens the flavor, as well as the color, which adds to the contrast with the sharp mustard.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch purple carrots, trimmed and cleaned 1 white onion, halved through the root and sliced into thin half-moons 1 bunch mustard greens, stemmed, sliced into 1-inch ribbons, washed well Cinnamon powder as needed 1/8th teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon cumin powder ¼ teaspoon coriander seed powder Grapeseed, or other neutral flavored oil, as needed Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 425°F. Cover a sheet pan with a sheet of foil larger than the pan, then wrinkle the foil so it has ridges that will lift the carrots off the flat surface. (This enables more even cooking without giving rise to strips of more cooked carrot where it was I contact with the pan.)
Rub the carrots with some oil, then sprinkle with cinnamon and garlic powder, and a little salt and pepper. Place in the hot oven and roast in the middle for 45 minutes, or until they are tender all the way through.
In the last twenty minutes of cooking of the carrots, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and film liberally with oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and toss to coat with oil. Cook until they are soft and starting to color.
Push the onions to the rim of the pan and allow any oil to cover the pan bottom. If there is none, add a little to the pan. When hot, add the cumin and coriander seed, cooking until fragrant. Stir into the onions, then add half the mustard greens. Use tongs to turn the greens and incorporate the onions and spices into the greens. As soon as the greens are wilting, add the rest of the greens, and wilt gently.
The carrots should be done about now. Remove them from the oven and slice into ½-inch thick slice on a shallow diagonal. Add them to the mustard greens and toss everything to combine. Season with salt and pepper, toss again, and serve.
If there is a lot of liquid in the pan bottom, use tongs to serve the vegetables, then reduce the liquid in the pan, adding a touch of oil. This should thicken up a bit and form a “sauce” to be poured over the vegetables.
Chef’s Notes:
If you want to bring up the sweetness of the carrots a bit, brush them with a little agave syrup in the last 15 minutes of cooking. To further move the dish to a “sweet and sour” mode, add a tablespoon or two of white balsamic or white wine vinegar to the greens towards the end of cooking.
If you wish to move the dish to western hemisphere, use a little bacon or smoky Pimenton de la Vera at the outset with the greens, and skip the cumin and coriander. Roast the carrots on a bed of rosemary with garlic, and use agave or honey to glaze the carrots during the last 15 minutes of cooking. You could use sage for the carrots with less rosemary, and add in the cumin and coriander to the greens and go Southwest American. Serve with cornbread and some beans.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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