The first carrots of the season really seem to mark the end of the hungry gap and as much as we love all of the tender leafy greens that are so prolific in the springtime it’s so lovely to see some of the first summer crops making their way into the veg boxes again. This recipe is perfect to showcase the sweet crunch of new season carrots, paired with a smooth butterbean purée and fiery harissa it is a real riot of flavour and texture. It is also a fantastic recipe for getting the most out of another favourite early summer vegetable, wet garlic. Wet Garlic is early season garlic picked before the cloves start to fully separate. At this stage the whole bulb can be used and the outer layers which become papery when the crop is left to mature are still tender and delicious. Wet garlic is highly prized due to it’s short season and is a well known delicacy in many European countries but still goes a bit under the radar here in the UK. We’re on a real mission to sing its praises as it definitely deserves recognition for being so amazingly versatile in the kitchen. It is milder than mature garlic and has unrivalled texture. In this recipe it is roasted whole and blended with the butterbeans adding a real depth of flavour to the silky smooth puree. This recipe is one of our firm favourites on our street food stall and if you’ve paid us a visit at one of our markets you may well have had the chance to taste it. We love to serve it with warm flatbreads which makes an excellent starter, it’s also great served as a cold salad alongside some picnic food. If you try this recipe we’d love to hear how you get on!
Ingredients
Harissa roasted carrots
1 Bunch of young carrots
1 Heaped Tbsp rose harissa paste (Our favourite recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi and can be found here https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/apr/17/harissa-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi . You can also buy harissa paste ready made, we would recommend Belazu Rose Harissa)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Butterbean and roasted garlic purée
2 Bulbs of wet garlic or 1 bulb of dried garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil (we like to use smoked olive oil to give extra depth of flavour but it can be a bit difficult to find and regular olive oil also works well)
800g Butterbeans (you can either use tinned or soak and cook from dried)
180ml Cold pressed rapeseed oil
50ml Lemon juice
Salt
Garnish
Dried rose petals
Chopped pistachios
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C. Start by roasting the garlic for the butterbean purée. To do this, rub the garlic bulbs with the olive oil and season with salt. Wrap tightly with kitchen foil and roast for about an hour until the bulbs are soft all the way through. If using wet garlic you can use the whole bulbs in the purée with their skins still on. If using dried garlic you will need to pass the garlic bulbs through a sieve in order to separate the garlic paste from the skin.
Whilst your garlic is roasting give your carrots a good wash and scrub as they will be roasted whole with their skin on to trap in all of that lovely flavour. Cut the tops leaving about an inch of green stem on the carrots. In a mixing bowl combine the harissa paste, olive oil, carrots and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Rub the mixture into the carrots until well coated and then transfer to a baking tray. Roast in a 250 degrees C oven until the carrots are starting to caramelise but still have a slight bite to them (about 20-25 minutes).
To make the butterbean puree combine butterbeans, rapeseed oil, lemon juice and your roasted garlic in a blender and blend until silky smooth. Season to tase with salt.
Serve the purée topped with the harissa roasted carrots and garnish with rose petals and pistachios. Warm up some flatbreads and enjoy!