We made carrots with feta cream and used a very special technique. Zooming in on the concept of less is more, we often try to explore the possibilities of extracting and concentrating flavor using a limited amount of ingredients.
In of our favorite dishes, one vegetable would repeat itself in different variations. It could be raw, pickled, roasted, braised, or fried. Or perhaps celeriac paired with celery leaves or roasted cauliflower on cauliflower puree.
This dish is an even more extreme example: the carrots are braised in carrot juice. That technique is not only intensifying the carroty flavor, but it’s also making the carrots extra sweet without introducing any ‘foreign’ liquids to diminish their natural flavor.
This alone is a great technique worthy of endless renditions. Whether you’re sticking to carrots and combining them with different dips, toppings, or supporting vegetables. Or play on the concept of cooking a vegetable in its own juice and go with beets or cabbage.
For this dish, we chose rather simple, quickly made feta cream – a perfect salty and tangy contrast to the sweet carrots. We finish by topping them with crunchy spiced amaranth.
Here’s everything you’ll need to make braised carrots with feta cream:
Carrots:
- 8-10 carrots washed, unpeeled
- 400 carrot juice
- 2-3 garlic cloves crushed, left whole
- 2-3 sprigs of thyme
- 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 2 star anise
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 cm ginger peeled and sliced rough
- Salt
- Olive oil
Feta Cream:
- 100 g feta or Bulgarian sheep’s milk cheese
- 100 g yogurt
- Splash of olive oil
Amaranth Crunch:
- 1/3 cup popped amaranth
- 1 tsp black sesame
- 1 tsp white sesame
- 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
- A few dried hibiscus flowers (optional)
- Salt
How to make the braised carrots with feta cream:
Carrots:
- Place all in an oven-safe dish, cover with aluminum foil, roast at 190 for about 40 minutes. With a small knife, check that the carrots are now almost fully cooked. Remove foil and roast for another 15 minutes to reduce the juice and brown the carrots. Turn them over and roast for an additional 10 minutes to brown the other side.
- Strain the juice, reserving the liquid.
Feta Cream:
- Blend in a slightly broken food processor. Fail. Transfer into a measuring cup and switch to an immersion blender. Fail a little less.
Amaranth Crunch:
- In a dry pan, toast the spices until fragrant and pulverize.
- In the same pan, toast the amaranth and sesame seeds for about two minutes till fragrant and crunchy. Mix.
- Plate by placing all three elements on a plate. Garnish with carrot tops or coriander leaves.
Braised Carrots With Feta Cream
Ingredients
Carrots:
- 8-10 carrots washed, unpeeled
- 400 carrot juice
- 2-3 garlic cloves crushed, left whole
- 2-3 sprigs of thyme
- 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 2 star anise
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 cm ginger peeled and sliced rough
- Salt
- Olive oil
Feta Cream:
- 100 g feta or Bulgarian sheep’s milk cheese
- 100 g yogurt
- Splash of olive oil
Amaranth Crunch:
- 1/3 cup popped amaranth
- 1 tsp black sesame
- 1 tsp white sesame
- 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
- A few dried hibiscus flowers not a must
- Salt
Instructions
Carrots:
- Place all in an oven-safe dish, cover with aluminum foil, roast at 190 for about 40 minutes. With a small knife, check that the carrots are now almost fully cooked. Remove foil and roast for another 15 minutes to reduce the juice and brown the carrots. Turn them over and roast for an additional 10 minutes to brown the other side.
- Strain the juice, reserving the liquid.
Feta Cream:
- Blend in a slightly broken food processor. Fail. Transfer into a measuring cup and switch to an immersion blender. Fail a little less.
Amaranth Crunch:
- In a dry pan, toast the spices until fragrant, pulverize.
- In the same pan, toast the amaranth and sesame seeds, about two minutes till fragrant and crunchy. Mix.
- Plate by placing all three elements on a plate. Garnish with carrot tops or coriander leaves.
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