BBQ Charred Carrots with Dukkah & Feta.
This such a delicious and somewhat surprising recipe! The carrots take on a whole new level of carrot-ness when steamed in the parcels, with a subtle smokiness that works really well. Investing in a good quality aged feta makes all the difference here, but it would nicely with a crumbly goat cheese too.
Note on barbecuing: For all my BBQ recipes i use the Japanese style of grill called a Kamado (big ceramic egg-shape!). Kamado barbecues makes it easy to control the temperature and achieve an even cook, not dissimilar to an oven. If you’re using a different type and have difficulty controlling the temperature, you will need to adjust cooking times accordingly. For some recipes (including this one) a similar effect can be achieved by doing the majority of the cooking in an oven /on a hob before finishing it on the BBQ.
Ingredients.
6 carrots, roughly equal length & thickness if possible
50-75g feta, good quality stuff makes all the difference
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Carrot Marinade:
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic granules
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
Generous pinch of salt, around 1/2 tsp
Dukkah:
8 tbsp hazelnuts, raw or blanched
3 tbsp almonds, raw or blanched
3 tbsp pistachios, shelled
4 tbsp sesame seeds, white variety
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or chilli powder
Generous pinch of salt, around 1/2 tsp
Equipment.
food processor/pestle & mortar
barbecue
tin foil
Method.
Gently toast all of the dukkah ingredients in a hot dry pan. Start with the nuts for a few minutes, then add the sesame seeds & spices as they colour more quickly
Once toasted, place all of the dukkah ingredients into a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs, similar to granola
Mix together the ingredients for the carrot marinade and coat the carrots in it
Create parcels for the carrots with tin foil, leaving some air within the parcels for them to steam, but making sure you seal the edges tightly. You can put maximum 2 carrots in each parcel
When you’re ready to cook, place the parcels on the barbecue, close the lid and cook on indirect heat at 220-250c for around 30 minutes. If your barbecue setup only allows for direct heat cooking (over flame) then you may wish to add a little water inside your parcels to ensure the carrots steam before the marinade starts to caramelise and ultimately burn.
Once the carrots are cooked through and tender (open a parcel carefully and check with a knife) remove them from the parcels completely and place them onto the grill to charr for a few minutes
Once nicely charred, remove from the heat and place on a serving platter. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the feta and dukkah, and serve.
