Grilled Carrots with Herby Coconut Yogurt and Spicy Beet Vinaigrette
Source: Gregory Gourdet, Everyone's Table
Recipe Type: Salads | Seasons: Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter
Don’t ask me why, but you don’t often spot people grilling carrots alongside peppers, zucchini, and eggplant. It’s a shame, because they also grill beautifully, developing a char that balances out their sweetness. Herby coco- nut yogurt helps, too, tipping the scale with tang and freshness, while quickly pickled beets contribute crunch, acidity, and a different dimension of sweetness.
INGREDIENTS
Beet Vinaigrette
large beet (about 4 inches in diameter, any color), peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 fresh Thai chiles, thinly sliced
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Herby Coconut Yogurt
Handful mixed herbs, such as basil, mint, dill, and cilantro
1 cup plain coconut yogurt
scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 juicy lime
For the Carrots
pounds trimmed medium carrots, halved lengthwise if thicker than 1 inch
1 tablespoon avocado oil ½ teaspoon kosher salt
PREPARATION
Make the beet vinaigrette: Put the beet in a small mixing bowl, season with the salt, stir, and set aside for 10 minutes to soften and sea- son the beet. Combine the vinegar, garlic, and chile in a small saucepan, bring all to a boil over high heat, then lower heat to gently simmer for 1 minute, just to cook off the garlic’s raw flavor. Pour the hot mixture over the beets, stir, and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Stir in the olive oil.
Make the herby coconut yogurt: Roughly chop the herbs. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, most of the herbs, the scallion, and the salt. Use a Microplane to grate the lime zest into the bowl, then halve the lime and squeeze in the juice. Stir well.
Grill the carrots and make the dish: Fire up a grill to cook with medium-high heat. On a plate, rub the carrots with the avocado oil to just barely coat them (excess oil will lead to flare-ups and unpleasant flavor). Season the carrots with the salt, toss, and grill, turning them occasionally and moving them to a cooler part of the grill if they get dark before they’re tender, until lightly charred and fully tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Let them cool for a couple of minutes.
Spread the yogurt on a platter and top with the carrots. Spoon on the pickle-y beets first, then drizzle on about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with the remaining herbs and serve.
From the book Everyone’s Table by Gregory Gourdet and JJ Goode. Copyright ©2021 by Gregory Gourdet and JJ Goode. Published by Harper Wave an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission. Photos credited to Eva Kosmas Flores.
Farmers Market Ingredients