Roasted Carrots with Walnuts and Tahini
“A little sweet from date syrup, creamy from tahini and very tangy from plenty of lemon juice, this roasted carrot dish — adapted from Adeena Sussman’s cookbook “Sababa” — has charisma to spare. It’s also extremely easy to make. While the carrots roast with olive oil and cumin, all you do is whisk together a simple glaze from pantry ingredients. If you don’t have the date syrup on hand, maple syrup works just as well, making the dish slightly sweeter but no less compelling.”
Ingredients
FOR THE CARROTS
1½ pounds slender carrots (or thick carrots, halved lengthwise), peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
FOR THE TAHINI GLAZE
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup tahini
3 to 4tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
3 tablespoons date syrup or maple syrup
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or 1/2 tsp if dried
Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place carrots on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss with oil, salt, and cumin. Roast carrots for 15 minutes, then turn and continue roasting until they are golden at the edges and tender, 12 to 15 minutes longer.
Step 2
While the carrots are roasting, make the tahini glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, tahini, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, syrup, cayenne, salt, and 1 tablespoon water until smooth. Whisk in 1 to 2 more tablespoons water until you have a thick but pourable sauce. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice, or both, if you like.
Step 3
Transfer the carrots to a platter and drizzle with the tahini glaze, tossing the carrots to coat.
Step 4
Sprinkle in chopped walnuts and an extra drizzle of tahini. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.
