Eating the rainbow never looked or tasted so good!
Side dish or vegetarian main? How about both! It's that good and that versatile. This recipe can be made with regular, conventional orange carrots, or even parsnips would be equally wonderful with this preparation. If you have never had honeycomb before but love honey, honeycomb will be a welcome addition to your pantry. Toasted and salted sunflower seeds amplify the textural juxtapositions while providing some savory balance to the sweetness of the carrots and the honeycomb. Whipped feta completes the dish, offering more contrast with its creamy, sour finish. You can play around with the concept by substituting pistachios or hazelnuts for the sunflower seeds, or yogurt or labneh for the whipped ricotta.
Equipment: cutting board; chef’s knife; measuring spoons; food processor; rubber spatula; rimmed sheet pan; offset metal spatula or tongs
Ingredients: 1 cup feta
¼ cup plain yogurt
2 bunches rainbow carrots, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper 2-3 tablespoons honeycomb 1 tablespoon roasted sunflower seeds parsely leaves
flavored finishing oil (optional)
1. In a food processor blend the feta and yogurt for 2-3 minutes until thoroughly creamy without any lumps. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Slice the carrots in half lengthwise or leave whole, depending on size. Leave ¼-inch of the stems, if desired. Place them on a rimmed sheet pan and toss well to coat with olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Then turn each carrot that was halved cut side-down. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until tender and caramelized on the cut side where applicable.
4. Spoon the ricotta onto a platter and spread with the back of the spoon to create a pillow for the carrots. Place the carrots on top of the ricotta and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Add small pieces of the honeycomb throughout the carrots. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds and a few parsley leaves evenly across the carrots. Drizzle with a flavored finishing oil, if desired.
"If you want to add a light drizzle of a citrus, herb, or nut oil to the carrots to finish the dish, go for it! Make the dish your own and add any flavors that appeal to you."
5. Serve immediately. Alternatively, the whipped ricotta and roasted carrots can be prepared in advance and the dish can be composed and served cold.
Makes 6-8 side dish servings.
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