Roasted Carrots with Fennel “Jam” and Fennel “Pesto”

This dish is quite dramatic on the plate, especially if you have purple or multicolored carrots. If you wish, you can steam the carrots instead of roasting. Roasting and steaming help purple carrots retain color, and in the case of the purple carrots it intensifies the color. Wet cooking purple carrots washes out the color and tints every other vegetable in the pan a not pleasant shade or blurple. The earthiness of the carrot is offset by the fennel and the pesto, while roasting intensifies the sweetness of the carrots and intensifies the flavor at the same time.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Fennel Jam (see recipe on website)

½ cup Fennel Pesto (See recipe) or ¼ cup Fennel Oil (see recipe on site)

1 bunch carrots, purple, varied, or Chantenay, well-scrubbed with a vegetable or pristine nail brush

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil as needed

Optional-1 cup oil cured olives such as Niçoise, Gordal, Picholine or Manzanilla

METHOD:

Heat the oven to 425°F. Cover a sheet pan with foil and spray with oil.

Rub the carrots with oil all over, then season with salt and pepper, and place on the oiled sheet pan. Roast for 15-25 minutes, depending on thickness, turning occasionally so carrots don’t scorch, until carrots are just tender.

While carrots are roasting, gently heat the fennel jam and keep warm. If you wish to use olives, add them to the fennel jam and heat through.

When carrots are ready, place on plates or a platter and top with the fennel jam. Drizzle Fennel Pesto or Fennel Oil around and on the carrots and jam. Serve hot. This dish would also work at room temperature as part of a mezze or antipasto set.

Chef’s Notes: If you wish, and this is quite effective for purple carrots, you can steam them. Split lengthwise and steam until tender, and then proceed. Steaming will enhance the root flavor of carrots and will not caramelize the natural sugars the way roasting does. So if you want a subtler, more “carroty” flavor, try steaming them rather than roasting.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen