Roasted Carrot Dip
A change from the usual cheese-loaded appetizer, this roasted carrot dip is a great one served with feta cheese and olives. Creamy, quick to put together and as spicy as you want.
Servings 2 cups
Ingredients
Roasted carrots:
- 1 pound carrots
- 1 garlic clove unpeeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or to taste, for roasting carrots
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste, for roasting carrots
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper or to taste, for roasting carrots
For the dip:
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper or to taste, freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon spicy sauce I use homemade harissa, but Sriracha, Tabasco and chopped chipotles in adobo also work
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream feel free to add more if you want a more fluid dip, and adjust the rest of the flavors
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup black olives to serve
- 2 tablespoons feta cheese crumbled, to serve (I use goat cheese)
- Crackers to serve, like whole wheat crackers or olive oil crackers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
To roast the carrots:
- Wash, dry and slice 1 pound carrots.
- Scatter them on a baking tray together with 1 garlic clove. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste and roast for about 40-45 minutes, until very soft.
To make the dip:
- Process carrots, garlic clove (squeeze the soft meat out of the skin), 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon spicy sauce, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper or to taste, and about ¼ cup olive oil until almost smooth.
- Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream and process until as smooth as you want. Stir in 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Check seasonings and adjust to your taste.
- Put in a bowl, top with crumbled 2 tablespoons feta cheese ¼ cup black olives and serve with crackers.
Notes
Adjust to your own taste by increasing or decreasing ingredients like honey or spicy sauce.
Storing: it keeps well for several days in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
