Moroccan carrots

From Burden's Landing

This recipe comes from Amaryll Schwertner, chef and partner in Boulettes Larder in San Francisco. [The recipe appeared in the SF Chronicle's weekly Food & Wine newsletter e-mailed on 11/12/2009.]

Ingredients

The marinade

  • 1 cup Meyer lemon juice
  • 3 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsps sugar
  • 1 tsp toasted and ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
  • Sea salt
  • Lime juice as needed

The carrots

  • 2 pounds baby carrots, mixed colors if available
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

For the marinade:

In a bowl, whisk together the Meyer lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, cumin, cinnamon, paprika and salt to taste. If the marinade does not seem tart enough, add a squeeze of lime juice.

For the carrots:

1. If the carrots are small and thin skinned, you do not need to peel them. Otherwise, peel the carrots. Finger-size baby carrots can be left whole. If they are larger than that, cut them into smaller pieces of approximately equal size. You can cut them into coins on the diagonal, or halve them lengthwise and cut into 2-inch lengths. The exact size and shape don't matter as long as the pieces are similar so they cook in the same time.

2. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil with the garlic, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Add the carrots and boil until they lose their crunch, but don't let them get soft. They should still be slightly firm. Drain well, then transfer them to a nonreactive container. Pour the marinade over them and let rest for 1 hour before serving.