The holidays felt like they were never-ending. By the time Friday rolled around, I started to go a little crazy. Apparently, I have trouble relaxing (a freelancer thing?). The first week without projects and inquiries, without a constant stream of messages hitting my inbox, was refreshing. I spent time with my parents, my sister and her family, my in-laws. I got to see friends in New York and check out some museums (a highlight being an exhibit of Dutch paintings, including Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, at the Frick. If you are in New York, it's there until the 19th) We even saw movies... in a theater!
On the few days that Eric went into work these last couple of weeks, I'd use the time to photograph some recipes. I didn't realize how much I'd missed picking up my camera. For me, cooking and photography are two great forms of creative expression. There are so many ways to capture the beauty of food. Not just the final dish, which, in the case of this roasted carrot dish, was surprisingly challenging (cooked carrots are funny looking things), but the whole process. I spent over four hours shooting this (for those out there wondering how much time it takes to do a post... let's just say I need to block out a full day to complete a single one).
We acquired a plethora of carrots from our CSA last week and I thought there was no way I'd get through all of them. Between soups and stews and assorted other dinners, we still had a full bag. I looked around our kitchen and my eyes honed in on two very lonely (and very ripe) Meyer lemons. Until this point, I've actually only cooked with Meyer lemons once or twice. I knew that they were less sour than regular lemons and I thought they would actually be delicious roasted. Half of this dish turned into lunch while the rest was served at dinner with a platter of baked salmon and couscous.
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Cumin Roasted Carrots and Meyer Lemon
Yield 2-3 as a side
Ingredients 1 1/2 - 2 lbs of carrots (or approximately 10 medium-sized), peeled 1 Meyer lemon cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices, seeds removed 6 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Kosher salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a bowl, toss the carrots with four tablespoons of olive oil, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Add the sliced Meyer lemon and toss with the carrots.
3. Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt over the carrots and lemon slices.
4. Roast for 20 minutes.
5. Rotate carrots and flip lemon slices, and season with another sprinkle of salt. Roast for another 10-15 minutes, or until carrots are golden brown.
6. Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over them. Finish with Kosher salt, ground black pepper, and chopped parsley.
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