In the past year, based on our participants’ feedback, we’ve aimed to incorporate more West African, Korean and Puerto Rican flavors, ingredients and recipes into our curriculum. With this recipe, we’re exploring Ethiopian techniques and flavors. The real star of this dish is the toasty umami vinaigrette, made from rich, aromatic brown butter and berbere (an Ethiopian spice-blend typically made with red pepper, fenugreek and ginger) that’s cooked down with onions to a jam-like consistency and drizzled over the creamy ayib cheese and sweet carrots. The perfect side dish to wow your friends and family at your next holiday gathering.
Let us know if you try to make these at home + tag us @sylviacenter.
Prep Time: 1 hour | Serves: 8
Ingredients
Spiced Brown Butter
½ C unsalted butter
¼ small red onion, finely chopped
1 sprig thyme, leaves picked
1 1 ½-inch piece ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp dried oregano
⅛ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp berbere
Carrots
2 lb carrots, peeled and cut on diagonal into 3-inch pieces
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 orange, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed
Juice of 1 lemon
½ Tbsp honey
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ C parsley leaves
¼ C ayib
Method
- Start by making the carrots. Preheat oven to 400°. Place the carrots on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Add the orange slices and gently toss to combine. Roast in oven, stirring halfway through, until the carrots are browned in spots and fork-tender (around 30–40 mins). Allow to cool slightly.
- While the carrots are cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, then simmer gently, reducing the heat if needed and skimming the foam from the surface, until the butter is no longer foaming and beginning to brown, around 10–15 mins.
- Add the onions, thyme, ginger, garlic, cumin, oregano and turmeric into the brown butter, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown and the mixture becomes fragrant, around 8–10 mins. Stir in the berbere and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min.
- In a separate bowl, make the vinaigrette. Mix together the lemon juice, honey, mustard, olive oil, and 3 Tbsp of the spiced brown butter.
- Transfer the cooked carrots to a platter and drizzle over the vinaigrette. Scatter with the parsley and the ayib. Serve.
Adapted from Marcus Samuelsson’s The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food.
| Ingredients | Substitution |
| Berbere | Ras El Hanout, baharat, garam masala |
| Ayib | Goat cheese, feta, strained cottage cheese |
| Recipe Notes |
| Reduce cooking time for thinner or heritage carrots. |
