Roasted Carrot, Avocado, & Orange Salad with Herbs
Inspired by April Bloomfield's Carrot, Avocado, & Orange Salad, originally appearing in A Girl and Her Pig. Bloomfield's original recipe is a winner and if you don't have this cookbook, you should definitely add it to your wish list. While I love the pop of coarsely ground cumin and coriander that she uses in her recipe, I don't always have these whole cumin and coriander seeds in my kitchen. I've opted for ground spices in this version with that in mind. Additionally, my garden is overflowing with herbs this time of year. The chives and parsley add a great element of freshness against the savory carrots, sweet orange, and creamy avocado.
Yield: about 4 servings
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Ingredients
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into batons/sticks (about 2.5 in x 0.25 in x 0.5 in)*
2 navel oranges
2 ripe avocados
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin**
1 tsp ground coriander**
1/2 tsp cayenne
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Pinch of aleppo pepper or red pepper flake*** (optional)
Baking dish with lid OR 9" x 13" pan with foil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place the cut carrots in the baking dish. After mincing the garlic, sprinkle with a small pinch of flaky kosher salt. Applying downward pressure, and with the edge of the knife pointing away from you (make sure your fingers are clear from the blade), scrape the sharp edge and side of your knife over the pile of garlic and salt, essentially wiping the garlic against the cutting board to create a paste. Repeat this process, going back and forth in opposite directions until the consistency appears generally uniform. Set aside for now. There's a great tutorial on making garlic paste at the Kitchn's site if you need a little extra guidance.
In a small skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat (don't skimp on the olive oil, it becomes a dressing for the salad later). Add the cumin, coriander, and cayenne to the oil and whisk together to flavor the oil and wake up the spices. Cook about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the oil to cool for a minute or two. Add the garlic to the oil and mix well.
Pour the oil mixture over the carrots in the baking dish and toss to combine. Arrange the carrots in a single layer in the dish if possible. Season with a small pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Carefully pour about a 1/4 cup of water into the bottom of the dish around the carrots, cover with a lid or foil, and roast for 20 minutes. Uncover and roast about another 20-30 minutes, until the carrots are tender and starting to brown. I usually give the carrots a stir about halfway through this uncovered roasting time, but it's not critical to do this.
While the carrots roast, cut off the very top and bottom of the oranges to obtain a flat surface. Position the orange on your cutting board with a cut side down. Place your knife on the top of the orange where the flesh meets the pith/peel. Slowly move your knife downward, along the curve of the orange, to just remove the peel and white pith. Repeat until all the peel and outer pith is removed. Turn the orange onto its side and cut into thin circles (about 1/8" to 1/4" thick). You can leave these as full circles, or cut in half to semicircles (if you want semicircles, after peeling, it's probably easiest to just cut the orange in half from top to bottom and then slice).
Place the cut orange and any excess juice from your cutting board in a medium to large bowl and set in fridge. When the carrots are done roasting, allow them to cool slightly in the dish and then transfer the warm carrots into the bowl with the oranges. Scrape all of the oil, spices, and garlic into the bowl. Stir well to combine. Put the bowl into the fridge for at least 10 minutes to chill and let the flavors mingle. Do ahead: If you're preparing this salad ahead of time, you can stop at this point and put the bowl into the fridge for up to an hour. (If you have it in the fridge much longer, the oil may start to solidify. This isn't a problem, but make sure to take the bowl out of the fridge with enough time to let the oil come up to room temperature and stir well before proceeding).
When you're about ready to serve the salad, prepare the avocado. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit. Scoop out each half with a spoon and cut into 1/4" slices. Add the avocado to the bowl with the carrots and oranges. Add the chives and parsley. Fold the ingredients in the salad together, being careful not to smash the avocado.
Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Serve on individual salad plates and sprinkle with a small pinch of aleppo pepper, if desired.
Notes
*If I have prepped carrot sticks for snacking earlier in the week, I'll just grab about a pound of those for use in this recipe.
**If you have whole cumin seed and coriander seed, feel free to use about 1.5 tsp of each in place of the ground spices. Lightly toast the whole seeds and then coarsely grind with a mortar and pestle. Continue with the rest of the recipe as written, adding the coarsely ground spices to the warm oil.
***Aleppo can usually be found at specialty spice shops, such as Penzey's, international markets, and other online sources like Amazon. The pepper is mild in terms of spice and offers a warm, fruity note. It's a great option to use in finishing this salad. If you prefer a spicier element to contrast the avocado and orange, choose red pepper flake instead.
