Honey And Harissa Glazed Carrots

I am on a harissa kick and you guys are probably sick of it. But I do love it and have been trying it in different ways and I’m happy to say that it went really well with these heirloom carrots. I don’t usually buy these in Trinidad because they are imported and I almost always buy local ones. I wanted a little treat so I bought these organic ones from Fresh cause sometimes ‘you gots to treat yo self’. The colours are remarkable in these carrots and I have to admit I stared at them for a while before and after cutting them because you must take time admire the beauty around you. This recipe will work with whatever carrots you have so don’t stress about getting your hands on fancy ones! Unless of course ya need to treat yo self as well!

Carrying on…I wanted to tell you a little about the different harissa pastes I use. For some extreme heat I use the canned paste that I usually dilute. When I want some heat and smoke as well as some tang I go for Mina harissa Moroccan style pepper sauce which is a beautiful blend of flavours and I love the texture of it too. I literally can eat it by the spoonful! I spoon it on toast with my egg and do also sorts of wonderful stuff with it. I have a wonderful harissa ragu coming to the blog soon so be on the lookout for that one too!

These carrots are a welcome addition to any meal and make a great side dish if you are planning a feast. They are subtly sweet, with a little spice and smoke and some tang as well! You will love them. Have no fear if you don’t have or can’t get harissa paste where you are from. I have a recipe below of my homemade harissa sauce that I use every time I’m out of the paste and sauce or if I can’t get my hands on any here at the moment.

Give this recipe a whirl and be sure to let me know if you did. Take snap of it and tag me in your post or use #theoliveandmango so I can see how beautiful yours turned out and so I can share it!!

Honey And Harissa Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

• 1 lb thin carrots or cut thinly scrubbed
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp harissa (I used Mina harissa sauce)
• 1 tbsp honey plus a little extra to drizzle on before serving (sub maple syrup if vegan)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A couple of tbsp of chopped cilantro or Chadon Beni to garnish
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving
  

Directions

1. Heat up a large skillet to medium and melt the butter

2. Add the carrots and cover and cook for approx 10 minutes or until carrots are tender, occasionally stirring them

3. Once done stir in the harissa and honey, season with salt and pepper and serve garnished with cilantro and drizzled with a little extra honey and a squeeze of lemon juice

Recipe adapted from Rachael ray

Harissa Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 roasted red pepper
• ½ tsp of coriander seeds
• ½ tsp of cumin seeds
• ½ tsp of caraway seeds (dry dill weed as alternative)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 hot red chilies (sub with a ½ tsp of red pepper flakes)
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. In a small pan toast all the seeds for a few minutes on medium heat or until golden and fragrant and set aside
2. In a small pan on medium heat fry up the onion, garlic and chilies or flakes for 10 minutes or until golden and then cool slightly
3. In a food processor add the onion garlic mixture, the spice mixture, the roasted red pepper, the lemon juice and salt and pepper and pulse until it’s a sauce. I like mine a little chunky so I just pulse it a couple times.
4. Sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks