Courtesy Justin Cucci, executive chef/owner, El Five, Denver
Many picnics are heavy on fried or grilled meats and starchy sides, so you need a vegetable dish like this for balance. This one comes from El Five in Denver, which focuses on responsibly grown and sourced, innovatively simple, vegetable-forward menus. Using vegetable scraps for the ash is tantamount to nose-to-tail eating in the meatless world.
Published: April 21, 2018
Ingredients for Ash-Roasted Carrots
Directions for Ash-Roasted Carrots
Heat oven to 500˚F. Spread vegetable scraps on baking sheet. Roast until completely black. Turn off heat, and keep tray in oven for 2 hours. Remove from oven, and set aside. (Ash can be made ahead and used multiple times.)
Heat oven to 450˚F. Toss carrots with olive oil and salt. Spread on baking sheet, and cover with ash. Roast until fork tender, about 35 minutes. Let cool, and remove from ash.
Spread ras el hanout yogurt on bottom of large serving platter. Cut carrots into bite-sized pieces. Toss carrots with basil vinaigrette, and spread atop yogurt. Top with dill, chives, mint, pine nuts, fennel and radishes. Garnish with granola. Serves 4.
Ingredients for Super Seed Granola Ingredients
Directions for Super Seed Granola Ingredients
Heat oven to 325˚F. Combine all ingredients together in bowl and spread in thin layer on rimmed baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely
Ingredients for Ras El Hanout Yogur
Directions for Ras el Hanout Yogurt
Combine all ingredients. Let sit 1 hour to allow flavors to blend together.
Ingredients for Basil Vinaigrette
Directions for Basil Vinaigrette
Place all ingredients except oils in blender. Purée until smooth. While blender runs, slowly drizzle oils to emulsify mixture.
Pair It
Ouled Thaleb 2016 Moroccan White Blend (Zenata). “Made from Faranah and Clairette, this floral and aromatic Moroccan white has notes of grapefruit, orange blossom, passion fruit, elderflower and spearmint with a refreshing finish,” says Kelley Pottle Graham, sommelier at El Five. “It has good weight with citrus notes and spice that pair well with the roasted carrots.”