Spiced Maple Roasted Carrots with Z’houg

This could be your new favorite side dish! Sonya Sanford, “Food Friends” podcast host, culinary educator, and author of “Braids”, joined us to share her recipe for Spiced Maple Roasted Carrots with Z’houg. For more delicious recipes, visit Sonya’s website www.sonyasanford.com, follow her on Instagram @sonyamichellesanford, listen to her podcast Food Friends, or sign up for a cooking class.

Spiced Maple Roasted Carrots with Z’houg

Serves 4-6

• 3 pounds medium carrots, peeled and tops trimmed
• 1/4 cup oil, or as needed
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground or fresh ginger (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• Recipe of Z’houg
• Fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place a baking sheet in the oven while it preheats.

Make sure all carrots are the same size; you can halve larger carrots and keep smaller carrots whole.

Toss the carrots with the oil, coriander, paprika, ginger, salt, and pepper. Place them on the hot sheet pan, and roast for 15 minutes. Flip the carrots around in the pan, and continue to roast until they are browned on both sides and tender. Once they are cooked, drizzle the carrots with the maple syrup and toss again. Remove from the oven and allow the carrots to cool on their sheet pan.

Once cooled, transfer the carrots on to a serving dish and top with as much z’houg as desired. This dish is best served at room temperature.

To make in advance: once the carrots are fully cooked and cooled, refrigerate them. Take them out of the fridge 30-60 minutes prior to serving, and top with the z’houg just before serving.

Variations:

• Honey or agave can be used in place of the maple syrup. Or, if you do not want additional sweetness, omit the syrup.
• Any of the spices can be swapped with a spice mix like Harissa, Baharat, Ras el Hanout, dried herbs, etc.
• This recipe also works well with beets or parsnips in place of the carrots, or a combination of all three.

Z’houg

Makes 1 pint

• 6 serrano chiles or 8 medium-small jalapenos
• 1 bunch cilantro (about 2 cups packed)
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 2 cups packed)
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 Tablespoons ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2-3 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
• Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
• 1/2 cup oil (olive oil or sunflower oil), or as needed

Cut the stems off of the serranos/jalapenos, and then cut into large chunks. Trim off the toughest parts of the stems of the cilantro and parsley, and then very roughly chop the herbs.

Add the peppers, fresh herbs, garlic, cardamom, coriander, salt and lemon juice to a food processor or blender. Pulse the mixture until everything is finely chopped, about 5-6 pulses. Slowly drizzle in the oil with the machine running until it is a spoonable, thick, sauce. Taste and add more salt, spices, lemon juice or oil as desired.

Zhoug will keep refrigerated for up to one week and can be frozen for much longer. To keep it from oxidizing in the fridge, you can add a big glug of oil on top.

Note:

Serrano peppers are typically hotter than jalapenos, but their flavor is quite similar. Jalapenos are also typically much larger. Either pepper work well in this recipe, and if you’re choosing serranos it calls for fewer. If you prefer mild heat, start with fewer chili peppers.