Carrot Bottoms

let's dip our way into spring

I’m a firm believer that you can never have too many recipes for dip. As we inch closer to the hot days, I love a dip based dinner. A spread of fresh or grilled veggies, some kind of bread, and a pile of protein rich dip that I can eat while I sip something sparkly. That’s my ideal spring evening. This week we’re taking our dip game to new heights by sneaking a spring veggie in there: carrots. Carrot ginger dressings are common at lots of sushi spots in the US and I even put one in our first book but this one is an entirely different beast. First, the carrot is lightly steamed/boiled to make the dip extra creamy and then pureed with 3 different acids, garbanzo beans, tahini and then topped with fresh tarragon. The combination is so much more than the sum of its parts; this tastes like a perfect spring day.

Sure, you can skip the steaming step if you trust your food processor, but I urge you to try it with the steamed carrot at least once. It’s just so much better. The brightness of the dip makes it perfect with pretty much whatever you want to pair it with. I love it with crusty bread or pita as a sorta hummus or spread on crostini and topped with fresh tomatoes and tarragon. There are a thousand different uses for this recipe and I can’t wait to hear how you guys make it your own. If you can’t find fresh tarragon, though I really think it’s worth hunting for, you can replace it with dill, cilantro, parsley, or some combination of them. This dip is best used within the first 5 days of making it so that the herbs you throw on top stay fresh and don’t start dragging the whole thing down.

Carrot Tahini Hummus with Tarragon

Makes 3 cups

3 carrots, chopped into pieces no thicker than ¼ inch

1 cup of water

Pinch of salt

¼ cup champagne vinegar

3 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 ½ cups cooked garbanzo beans or one 15 ounce can, drained and rinsed

1 shallot or ¼ of a white onion, minced

1 clove garlic

½ teaspoon agave or maple syrup, optional

2 tablespoons tarragon

In your smallest saucepan with a lid, combine the chopped carrots, water, and salt. Cover and place the pot over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the carrots are soft. If the water starts looking low before the 10 minute mark, just add ¼ cup more as needed.

When the carrots are soft, add them to a food processor or blender with ⅓  cup of the steaming water. Add the champagne vinegar, olive oil, tahini, rice vinegar, lemon juice, garbanzo beans, shallot, and garlic and run that shit until it looks smooth, about 30 seconds. Taste and see if you want to add the agave or not. Sometimes the carrots are sweet enough that it doesn’t need it so just trust your tastebuds. To serve, scoop some into a bowl and top with tarragon and a little olive oil. Serve it along crusty bread or pita and some fresh tomatoes. 

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Thanks for joining us here in The Broiler Room. We appreciate all your support and hilarious comments. What spring foods are you more excited about these days? Let us know!

Michelle (and Matt)