Moroccan Carrots

Still deliciously venturing into the Mediterranean world and cookbook, one of the side dishes for my lamb with pomegranate sauce Lamb Roast With Pomegranate Sauce was some colorful and tasty Moroccan carrots. I used the tri-color carrots to make them even more festive and exotic. Though my tri-colored carrots are more traditional that I thought, since they originally came in various shades of purples, yellows, whites and orange. Little did I know at the time. :)

Carrots have been around since before the 10th century, found in Asia Minor and Persia. Back then, carrots were wild tubers and were more for medicinal use than for eating. But around the 10th century, people started realizing that these colorful tubers were good for eating too.  The origin of the word carrot dates to roughly 1530, and is borrowed from Middle French – carrotte, from the Latin – carōta, and the Greek -karotōn.

Moroccan Carrots

Before making the carrots, I made my Moroccan spice blend called Ras El Hanout. This exotic spice blend can be used for any Middle Eastern or Mediterranean dish, or just anything that you want to perk up the flavors with.

Ras El Hanout

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp corinader

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp salt

Mix everything together and use for whatever you like. If placed in an airtight container, it will last for a very long time.

The Carrots

3-6 tri-colored carrots, peeled and cut into thin sticks

olive oil

1 TBSP of the Ras El Hanout Spice mix

2 TBSP honey

2 tsp tahini sauce

toasted white sesame seeds

chopped parsley

toasted almond slivers, optional

Peel and cut the carrots into thin matchsticks. Coat with the Ras El Hanout seasoning. Saute in olive oil in a very hot skillet for about 6 or so minutes, or until the carrots are tender and have a slight charring to them.

Combine the tahini sauce and the honey and drizzle over the top of the cooked carrots.

Then top with the chopped parsley, toasted almond slivers, if using, and the sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy. These colorful, tasty carrots will be the talk of the table for sure. :) I like color. I like bold flavors. I like exotic flavors. This dish definitely has a little bit of all of those. So next time you are making carrots, spice them up and make them come to life.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ’Til next time.