As promised, here is the recipe for carrot purée that I served with my tapenade chicken the other day. I flavored the dish with rosemary, mustard, cumin and almond butter. The almond butter both thickens the purée and provides a nutty flavor.
It’s a lighter, healthier version of the creamy mashed potatoes we served for Thanksgiving. Sweet potatoes and carrots are a great source of vitamin A and potassium. But don’t get me wrong, healthier doesn’t mean less flavorful. If you’ve read my many of my past recipes, you know that I’m not shy about using full fat ingredients. In this particular dish, I just don’t think it’s necessary to get that unctuous, creamy mouth-feel. Using the cooking techniques in the recipe, you’ll be able to convince even the most anti-health food person in your life that the dish is loaded with heavy cream and butter.
1. Info for Carrot Puree (Mashed Carrots)
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 4
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Carrot Puree (Mashed Carrots)
- 4 carrots
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 1 small sprig of rosemary
- 2 Golden Sweet potatoes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, freshly ground
- 1-½ tablespoons creamy almond butter (optional)
- 2 tablespoons evaporated milk, warm
- 1 tablespoon roasted almond oil
- 1-½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon curly parsley (optional)
3. Directions:
- Break the sprig of rosemary in half and place in a tea bag or cheesecloth (see tips).
- Peel and cut the carrots into quarters, depending on the size of the vegetable.
- In a pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shallots and cook until slightly golden. Add the rosemary teabag and cook for another minute. Add the carrots. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and 1 to 1-½ quarts of water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 40 minutes. Once the water evaporates, check doneness (add more water if the carrots aren’t fully cooked) and transfer to a platter. Drain well and transfer to a platter. Remove and discard the rosemary. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and let them cool. Put the carrots and shallots into a food processor (you could use a potato masher but I found that the carrots were still too chunky). Pulse until smooth.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and dice them into 2-½-inch chunks. It’s preferable not to cut them too small as they might fall apart. Place the sweet potatoes in a small pot. Add about 2-3 cups of water (add more water if it evaporates too quickly, depending on the heat). Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook for about or about 10-15 minutes. The potatoes should be fork-tender but still firm. Remove from the pot. Transfer to a platter. Let them cool a little.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle and have ”dried” (with no excess water), place them back in the pot and stir them using a wooden spoon to remove as much water as possible. Using a fork (or a potato masher), mash the sweet potatoes. Add garlic powder, mustard, almond butter, cumin and carrots. Slowly add the warm milk. Stir well, using a wooden spoon. Add the almond oil and 1 teaspoon of parsley. Season with salt and white pepper.
- Serve warm. Garnish with more parsley.
- I paired the carrot purée with tapenade stuffed chicken breasts.
- Bon appétit!
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