Pomegranate-Roasted Carrots

Author Notes

"Pomegranate molasses tastes nothing like either pomegranate or molasses, but has a puckery, caramel, almost SweeTarts candy flavor that perks up just about anything you drizzle it on. I bought a bottle several years ago to make a North African meal, and have since gone through phases of sprinkling it obsessively on anything that stands still long enough, then letting it languish for months, only to gleefully rediscover the sticky bottle wedged behind the pumpkin seed oil.
For a while, I used it to dress my nightly salads, tossing in a few drops along with olive oil and salt (no vinegar needed). But after a few months, my husband rebelled ("Did you have a falling out with vinegar?"), so I moved on to roasted vegetables, stirring the molasses in at the end of the roasting time to prevent baked-on, black scorches (one nasty cleanup was plenty).
Of all the vegetables that have met its tart tang, sweet roasted carrots, seasoned with a little chile for spice, make the best partner. Don't try to substitute regular molasses here, the flavor is too strong. If you don't have pomegranate molasses (available in Middle Eastern and gourmet food shops), use 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar instead, adding it halfway through the cooking time. Mint and parsley make fine stand-ins for cilantro."
-from "In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite" by Melissa Clark —Melissa Clark