Roasted Carrots with Ayib and Awaze Vinaigrette
Source: Marcus Samuelsson, The Rise
Recipe Type: Appetizers and Sides | Seasons: Autumn, Winter
Excerpted from THE RISE by Marcus Samuelsson with Osayi Endolyn. Recipes with Yewande Komolafe and Tamie Cook. Copyright © 2020 by Marcus Samuelsson. Photographs by Angie Mosier. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
I’m inspired by Therese Nelson’s website BlackCulinaryHistory.com, which celebrates the many different paths and stories of Black cooking. Here’s a dish for her that tells part of my story.
Every culture has a sauce that amplifies every dish you add it to. In Ethiopia, it’s awaze—it’s our siracha. (There’s another recipe for awaze in the book.) Everyone has access to this sauce. It isn’t super hot, but it still brings the heat and you can dip everything in it. By stretching it with other ingredients, the awaze gets lighter and becomes a vinaigrette. Berbere spiced butter is an essential part here. You get umami from the butter and sour from the lemon. It’s something you find in every Ethiopian household. You have to make it: In the U.S., you can get the ingredients online or buy them from an Ethiopian restaurant.
Active Time: 25 minutes
Start to Finish: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds carrots, cleaned and tops removed
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 orange, thinly sliced, each slice cut in half and seeds removed
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for vinaigrette
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Berbere Spice Brown Butter, melted
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems
¼ cup Ayib (recipe follows) or goat cheese
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Spread the carrots in one layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil, add the orange, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast, tossing occasionally, until the carrots are tender and the orange slices are caramelized, 40 to 45 minutes.
To make the awaze vinaigrette: Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, berbere butter, lemon juice, honey, Dijon, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a glass jar with a lid and shake until an emulsion forms, 10 to 15 seconds. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
To serve, place the carrots on a platter, drizzle with the vinaigrette, and top with parsley and ayib. Serve immediately.
Ayib
This is Ethiopia’s fresh cheese. The mere thought of making cheese causes some of us to break out in a cold sweat, but ayib is easy to make. It’s very often made with a few simple ingredients you maybe already have, buttermilk or whole milk or yogurt. You can make everything, start to finish, in an afternoon. That makes it less intimidating and more amazing.
Active Time: 5 minutes
Start to Finish: 3 hours 20 minutes
Makes about 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
2 quarts whole milk
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
PREPARATION
Line a colander or a fine mesh sieve with a layer of cheesecloth. Set aside.
Place the milk in a medium saucepan, set over medium-low heat, and bring to a slight simmer, or 200°F to 205°F. Remove the pot from the heat and slowly stir in the lemon juice. Continue slowly stirring until curds begin to form, 1 to 2 minutes.
Spoon the curds into the prepared colander. Gently rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear. Place the sieve in a bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Refrigerate for 3 hours to allow the liquid to drain. Transfer the ayib to an airtight container, add salt, and gently toss to combine. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Farmers Market Ingredients