Egyptian Spiced Carrot Crostini
Good quality bread toasted to perfection is one of my greatest pleasures. I’ve loved toast since as far back as I can remember and that love is still going strong to this day. A simple smear of peanut butter, jam or just eaten plain is all fine with me. Often times when I can’t sleep at night I’ll creep out to the kitchen and toast up a slice of bread and heat up the tea kettle for a little late night snack. It’s comfort food that I’ll probably turn to for the rest of my life and that’s fine with me. I love toast. It soothes my soul.
Another great thing about toast is that it’s the perfect vehicle for many flavor combinations and can be served as a main dish at any meal. I usually whip up a big batch of roasted vegetables at the beginning of the week so we can easily toss them into salads, soups, or in this case mash them up and spread onto toast.
I still buy rustic style bread from our favorite local bakery (Pine Street) but I’ve also started experimenting with my own recipes and I’m excited to share a new one with you next week. If you follow me on instagram then you’ve already seen a sneak peak! It’s life changing and I’ve already frozen 3 loaves. Stay tuned!
This egyptian spiced carrot puree is delicious and versatile. You can simply serve it as a side dish (think fancy mashed potatoes!) or use as a dip for crackers. I personally love it spread on a thick slice of crusty bread and drizzling it with a lemon tahini sauce, roasted chickpeas and a few micro greens. It has a lovely sweet/spicy flavor and the addition of homemade dukkah takes it up a notch. However, if you’re not up for making your own dukkah feel free to purchase some at the grocery store or online.
If you love toast as much as I do I think you’ll love this “fancy” version for a quick lunch or weeknight dinner. To make prep time even easier I’d recommend making the carrot puree and dressing ahead of time so you can grab them all week long when you’re making your daily toast. This meal tastes especially delicious when enjoyed with a pint of your favorite beer and good company. Enjoy!
Egyptian Spiced Carrot Puree on Toast
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Serves: 4-6
Carrots- 1 1/2 pounds carrots, washed and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2-3 teaspoons harissa spice mix or paste
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of salt and pepper
- recipe here
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup water + more to thin if necessary
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- Slice bread into 1/2 inch thick pieces
- Roasted chickpeas
- Micro greens (or minced cilantro/herbs of choice)
- small handful of raisins
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the carrots with the oil, vinegar, spices salt and pepper. Place on a prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until lightly browned and tender. About 20 minutes. Toss carrots halfway through cooking.
- Prepare the dukkah (recipe here)
- Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients together and whisking until smooth. This works best with an immersion blender or small food processor. Taste test and adjust seasonings if need be. Add more water if the sauce is too thick (however, I like it thick when drizzled on this toast!)
- Place the cooked carrots in a large bowl and mash with the back of a fork or a potato masher. Taste test the carrots and add more spices if necessary.
- Toast the bread.
- Spread the carrot puree on each slice of bread, sprinkle with dukkah, drizzle with dressing and top each slice with roasted chickpeas, micro greens and raisins if you'd prefer. Enjoy!
Notes
*I cook with a taste and feel method. Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Cooking times will vary depending on your stove and ingredients. *Taste test as you go. *Have fun in the kitchen. *This recipe was lightly adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
what a great use for a super flavorful carrot puree!
i bake sourdough bread and love to find new ways to enjoy it toasted, so this post defnitely hits a nice spot with me
Oh man, this looks so good! I LOVE toast as well, I’m not sure if anything is as comforting as warm crusty bread. Can’t wait to try this! Thank you for the inspiration!
Really liked the recipe, and the photos – that orange pops out beautifully against the brown.
Also learnt something new – dukkah. Thank you!
I just discovered your site after seeing this recipe on Foodgawker and I am absolutely smitten with your recipes (including this one)! Everything is so gorgeous and wholesome. Cheers!
I have a whole jar of dukkah and I was just looking for ideas on what to do with it. Adding it to a carrot puree sounds like a great idea!