I learned to make this in Turkey in a sun-soaked kitchen in a house perched on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean. At home in the spring and summer, I make it often. It is a snap to pull together and dip into while you sip an after-work glass of wine or a cold beer. It turns a standard crudités tray into something special for large gatherings. (You won’t believe how many requests you get for the recipe.) Try it with heaps of raw baby rainbow carrots, sugar snap peas, whole or halved radishes, and quickly blanched cauliflower, or with a crisp salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta. I always serve it with triangles of pita bread, or with pita chips seasoned with sea salt.
Makes about 2 ¹⁄² cups
To add a little heat, drizzle the top of the yogurt with Chile Oil (page 61) in place of olive oil.
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing
3 medium to large carrots (10 to 12 ounces total), peeled, shredded on the large holes of a box grater
1/3 cup pine nuts (or 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts)
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus extra as needed
2 cups low-fat or full-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely grated on a Micro plane, pressed, or crushed into a paste
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a pinch of the carrots to the oil to test it: The oil is ready if the carrots sizzle. Add the remaining carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften, about 6 minutes.
- Add the pine nuts and salt. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are completely soft and browning and the pine nuts are golden, another 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it is incorporated and fragrant, another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Let cool briefly to warm.
- Place the yogurt in a medium-size bowl. Stir in the warm carrot mixture, and season with salt to taste.
- Transfer the dip to a serving bowl, and drizzle the top with olive oil. The dip will keep, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
Notes: You can easily adjust the yield based on the quantities you have on hand and the number of people you are serving. The ratios do not need to be exact. Add a little more yogurt or throw in an extra carrot and a little more oil. Just make sure to let the carrots sizzle for a good long while, until they are soft and browned at the edges.
When summer squash are in season, shredded zucchini makes an excellent addition. Swap 1 small zucchini for 1 carrot.
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About the Book:
Winner, IACP Cookbook Awards for Single Subject and People’s Choice.
The skills of butchery meet the world of fresh produce in this essential, inspiring guide that demystifies the world of vegetables. In step-by-step photographs, “vegetable butcher” Cara Mangini shows how to break down a butternut squash, cut a cauliflower into steaks, peel a tomato properly, chiffonade kale, turn carrots into coins and parsnips into matchsticks, and find the meaty heart of an artichoke. Additionally, more than 150 original, simple recipes put vegetables front and center, from a Kohlrabi Carpaccio to Zucchini, Sweet Corn, and Basil Penne, to a Parsnip-Ginger Layer Cake to sweeten a winter meal. It’s everything you need to know to get the best out of modern, sexy, and extraordinarily delicious vegetables.
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