Roasted carrots with walnuts and tahini
As side dishes go, this is one of my must-have dishes in your arsenal. I've been making this wonderfully flavourful offering for years. There's something so perfect about sweet, lightly charred carrots alongside a cooling, nutty Tahini sauce. Sesame and carrot are perfect together! Roasted simply, the tahini sauce acts as a sauce and dressing in one and couldn't be more perfect!
The earthiness of tahini is combined with lightly sour yoghurt to create a balanced, creamy sauce. It's absolutely delicious! There's a reason I make it time and again, and it's always the dish guests comment on - which is great as it's often the simplest to prepare. It's the perfect little treasure to have in your back pocket!
What is tahini?
Tahini is an ancient ingredient that's created from grinding toasted sesame seeds into a paste. It has a slightly bitter, nutty flavour that acts as a base to many dishes around the World. Sesame's origins are in Africa but the seed was cultivated in India and Myannmar over 3000 years ago. It remains one of the most popular crops around the world. Sesame paste is popular around the Globe, notably in Chinese cuisine, Indian too but most popular in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
Ingredients
▢ 1.5 lb Carrots
▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
For the tahini sauce
▢ 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt (plain)
▢ 2 tbsp tahini paste
▢ ½ lemon (juice of)
▢ ¼ tsp salt
▢ 1 garlic clove (minced into a puree)
▢ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Other ingredients
▢ 2 tbsp parsley (or mint, dill or cilantro)
▢ 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (or slithered almonds or pistachios)
▢ black pepper
▢ Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
▢ red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
To Roast the carrots
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF
Arrange the carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil (about 1tbsp) and a light sprinkle of salt. Toss the carrots around to ensure they’re coated in a little oil.
Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, turning a couple of times to ensure they get a nice char. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly.
To make the tahini sauce
While the carrots are roasting, whisk together the yoghurt, tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, minced garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Water down the sauce with 2-3 tbsp water to a creamy, but just pourable consistency (like whipping/double cream).
Finishing the dish
In a dry frying pan, lightly toast the pine nuts and set aside.
When the carrots are cooked and cooled a little, arrange them in a single layer on a platter and then drizzle over some of the tahini sauce. Scatter over the pine nuts and then sprinkle generously with the parsley. Season with black pepper and then finally add a few light drizzles of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using).
Serve hot or at room temperature with the remaining tahini sauce for guests to add is they wish.
Nutrition
Calories: 252kcal (13%) | Carbohydrates: 20g (7%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 19g (29%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 270mg (12%) | Potassium: 641mg(18%) | Fiber: 6g (25%) | Sugar: 9g (10%) | Vitamin A: 28599IU (572%) | Vitamin C: 20mg(24%) | Calcium: 84mg (8%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)