A Spicy Take on Carrots

Spicy Moroccan Carrot Salad

I was looking for an interesting salad to serve with a fairly tame vegetarian meal and happened upon this one from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty. It's easy and has a lovely spicy kick to it--not overwhelming, just enough to make these carrots interesting.

SPICY MOROCCAN CARROT SALAD

(serves 4)

1. 1 pounds carrots
2. 1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra to finish
3. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
4. 1 tablespoon sugar
5. 3 garlic cloves, crushed
6. 2 medium green chiles, finely chopped
7. 1 green onion, finely chopped
8. 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
9. 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
10. 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
11. 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12. 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
13. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
14. 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
15. 1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon
16. salt
17. 2 1/2 cups chopped cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish

Peel the carrots and cut them into slices 1/2 inch thick; all the pieces should be roughly the same size. Place in a saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender but still crunchy. Drain in a colander and leave to dry out.

Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion for 12 minutes on a medium heat until soft and slightly brown. Add the cooked carrots to the onion, followed by all the remaining ingredients except the cilantro. Remove from the heat. Season liberally with salt, stir well and leavce to cool.

Before serving,stir in the cilantro, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.