so! clearly my ambitious plan to post several times a week was a big flopping FAIL. i have been traveling almost non-stop the last couple of months, but along the way i had the meal that inspired this overdue recipe. some wise foodie friends insisted i try zingerman’s deli in ann arbor, michigan (yes, enemy territory for this buckeye!). although i loooved the ozwad’s mile high sandwich, which is zingerman’s award-winning corned beef & yellow mustard on double-baked, hand-sliced Jewish rye bread that i topped off with pimento cheese, i cannot stop thinking about the “carrot top” spread i ordered as a side.
my recipe turned out pretty close to zingerman’s, but not as bright and pretty because i wanted the olives to be more fully blended into the dip. tweak as you like!
recipe #13: roasted carrot dip
soundtrack: sufjan stevens’ seven swans reimagined (i bet this michigan man loves zingerman’s too, plus all proceeds go to komen for the cure)
ingredients: 1/2 pound carrots, 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, 2 TBS each harissa sauce, lemon juice and paprika, 1 TBS orange juice, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 3 TBS olive oil, salt and pepper.
the plan: cut the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2 inch slices, then toss in a bowl wth 2 TBS olive oil, and salt and pepper. roast at 400 degrees until very tender (about 30 minutes). then, in a food processor, combine the carrots with 1/4 cup heavy cream and 2 TBS each harissa sauce, lemon juice and paprika. i added the olives into the blend too, but if you prefer chunks just chop them into small pieces and add at the end. add salt and pepper to taste, then get yer dip on! i also foresee this being my new favorite sandwich spread.
