Chef Bryant’s Glazed Carrot Salad
From A Vegan Holiday Feast | Illustration by Julia Cost
Recipe reprinted with permission from Afro-Vegan by Bryant Terry, © 2014. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
1½ pounds carrots (about 10 medium carrots)
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
¼ cup packed chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Preheat oven to 425°. Line a large roasting pan with parchment paper.
Put about 12 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, cut the carrots into sticks by cutting them in half crosswise, trimming away the edges of each piece to form a rough rectangle, then quartering each rectangle lengthwise. (Compost the scraps or save them for another use.)
When the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon salt, then the carrots. Blanch for 1 minute. Drain well, then pat carrots dry with a clean kitchen towel.
Put the oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, garlic, cumin seeds, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add carrots and toss until evenly coated. Transfer to the lined pan (no need to clean the bowl). Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil, gently stir with a wooden spoon, then bake uncovered for about 10 minutes, until carrots start to brown.
Return carrots to the bowl. Add the cilantro and toss gently to combine. Serve garnished with the peanuts and mint.
Bryant Terry, chef in residence at San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora, is a powerful activist working toward a just and sustainable food system. Honored with a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award, Terry has published four books. bryant-terry.com
