let's cook with brightland: roasted carrots

with a spicy zhoug and pistachio crumble!

a month ago or so, brightland reached out and asked if i could come up with a recipe using their basil olive oil to celebrate the blossoming of spring. spring is one of my favorite seasons because it is a promise that brighter, sunnier times are coming. even if we are having a bad day, at least the sun will be bright and well, the air will smell crisp and clear and the markets will be alive with lush produce. at least we’ll have that.

this is a recipe of roasted carrots, a spicy zhoug and a savory pistachio crumble resting on a generous amount of labne. it’s savory, a little spicy, sweet from the carrots, comforting and delicious. i had a similar dish recently that i was obsessed with and immediately knew i needed to recreate at home. i really loved making this dish. i know that sounds a little silly but it’s true. it was the first warm, beautiful day we had in awhile. it was a day that really felt like spring was on her way. i had all my windows open as the carrots were roasting and the sunlight made the pomegranate seeds sparkle like little jewels. making this dish in my small kitchen was a really calming and peaceful experience and i hope if you choose to make it, it feels the same way for you.

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what you need for the roasted carrots:

1 bunch of carrots

3 tbs of brightland arise olive oil

flaky Salt

for the zhoug:

5 cloves of garlic, peeled

3 cups of fresh cilantro

2 jalapeños, seeds removed

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes (feel free to do less if you want it less spicy!)

3/4 cup brightland arise olive oil

2 big pinches of flaky salt

other ingredients:

1 cup of labne (you could also grate 1 clove of garlic in your labne to make it garlicky!)

1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup raw pistachios, shelled

1 tsp of aleppo pepper

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heat your oven to 375 degrees. in a roasting pan, cover the peeled carrots with 3 tbs of olive oil. sprinkle with flaky salt. let roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, checking for doneness by seeing if the carrots are fork tender. depending on your oven, this might take a bit more time and that's okay!

meanwhile, for the zhoug- in a food processor, combine the cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes, olive oil and blend until well combined. taste for seasoning. if you want it a bit more spicy, add a bit more pepper flakes. if you want it a bit more salty, add a bit more salt! zhoug is wonderful because you can really customize it for your flavor preferences. i like mine spicy and herbaceous. arise with it's hint of basil really adds a delicious extra something.

in a small pan, on medium high heat, lightly toast the pistachios until browned and fragrant. finely chop the pistachios and mix with a tablespoon of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and a bit of aleppo pepper until very well combined and it becomes like a bit of a paste.

once the carrots are done roasting, let them cool for a few minutes. in your preferred serving dish, spread out the labne. place the roasted carrots on top with several dollops of the zhoug, the pistachio crumble and a generous sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. finish with another drizzle of arise, aleppo pepper and a bit of flaky salt. serve with flatbreads and a simple salad!

i also feel like this would be quite good with roasted broccoli or roasted cauliflower. i think next time, i’ll try this same recipe with some roasted cabbage.

if you make this, let me know how it turns out!!

xx