"It's Maaaaa-gic!" Moroccan Carrots
Author Notes: Never have been one to leave well enough alone (see: 'What's Up Doc' Carrot Vichyssoise), here's another recipe inspired by my favorite Looney Tunes character, who was fond of saying: "Carrot are divine! You get a dozen for a dime! It's maaaaa-gic!"
(Bugs Bunny graphic courtesy Warner Bros. Entertainment) —wssmom
Serves 4
- 1 pound skinny carrots, scraped and cut into little cubes
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon each: cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, paprika (or aleppo pepper, thanks for the introduction, Sagegreen!), and caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- couple cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 14.5 ounce can chickpeas, drained well
- 1 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes, juice and all
- 1 tablespoon honey or other sweetener
- water, if needed
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Cook the carrots in a small amount of salted water until tender, about 5-7 minutes (more if you cut them bigger).
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the spices and garlic; cook, stirring, over medium-low heat, until the kitchen starts to smell like Rabat or Marrakesh.
- Drain the carrots and stir into the spices along with the tomatoes, the chickpeas, and the honey. Simmer about 15 minutes, adding water if needed; stir in the cilantro, and serve alongside your favorite grain (farro, quinoa, brown rice, etc.)
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Carrot Recipe
More Great Recipes: Side Dishes|Vegetables|Tomatoes
3 months ago ihaventpoisonedyouyet
Every time I make this I always wish I'd doubled the recipe so there'd be leftovers. It is a fabulous recipe. I usually serve the carrots with a lamb shank tagine recipe on food52 but this time I served it with haddock with chermoula (?) sauce and Israeli couscous. I think Ina Garten said its best to stick within the same family of flavor and this carrot dish was perfect. I have to say the couscous was a nice counterpoint and I added roasted cauliflower and some chopped preserved lemons. Next time I might try combining the doctored couscous with the carrots and chick peas.
over 1 year ago OdaO
Both tempting and intriguing, but 1 tsp of cinnamon, really?
over 1 year ago Manhattan Tart
Very tasty! I chunked the carrots into slightly larger pieces and roasted them then added them into the pan w/ all of the reduced sauce ingredients. Per LeeLeeBee's suggestion, I used a few tsp. of Pomegranate molasses. Went easy on the nutmeg (maybe 1/4 tsp. of freshly ground) and did half smoked paprika/half Hungarian. This was tasty, fragrant and colorful; we loved it!
over 1 year ago keg72
I just made this and thought it was delicious! For those like me who often need/want to make things ahead, I just wanted to comment that I made the dish in the morning and then refrigerated it all day. I then reheated it on the stove over a low flame with the addition of a little water, and it was perfect! In fact, I think the flavors further developed as it sat. Thanks for a great recipe!
almost 2 years ago Susan Gockeler
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It sounded intriguing (I do like flavorful foods, vegetarian entrees, and sweet/savory combinations) so I did not make any alterations. I found this recipe a bit off though. Not bad, just off. I suspect it was the nutmeg and may try again without it. Thanks again.
almost 2 years ago Helen Morrissey
Aleppo pepper - a.k.a. "magic spice"
over 2 years ago saragrad
I just made this, had a taste and was blown away by the flavour. Admittedly, I was a little sceptical about adding honey as I don't usually like sweeteners in savoury dishes but I trusted the reviewers and was glad I did. This is a really delicious recipe for carrots and the best thing is that it can be a meal in itself.
almost 3 years ago Melissa Roels
I can't tell you how many times I've made this recipe. It really is magic.
almost 3 years ago LeeLeeBee
I found that the recipe needed a touch of acid, so I added about two teaspoons of pomegranate molasses (and omitted the honey).
almost 3 years ago anne
I am curious, why is the photo (which is beautiful btw) large carrot pieces, but the recipe says to chop into small dice or cubes? These discrepancies make me a bit nuts. Thx.
about 3 years ago kgindermaur
Really, really great recipe! All the spices make the dish very complex and filling. Great standby, thanks!
about 3 years ago LizCo77
Delicious! I might leave out the sweetener next time to suite my taste, but this will definitely be added to my dinner/lunch on the go repertoire. Very satisfying, and very flavorful.
over 3 years ago EmilyC
Made these tonight and loved them! My husband commented about 5 times how much he liked them, and they were a hit with my kids too. Going into the rotation!
over 3 years ago kgindermaur
This is an incredible vegetable dish! So savory and flavorful. I followed the recipe exactly and served with basmati rice and a paprika-seasoned pork chop. Delicious!
over 3 years ago Sarah Lundin-Erickson
Delicious! I didn't change a thing to the recipe either.
over 3 years ago csquaredinoc
So I thought I was making this to go with lamb merguez sausage, but my boyfriend surprised me with fillet mignon tonight. I only added a half teaspoon of each spice, I substituted fresh dill from our garden for the caraway seed, and I skipped the chickpeas (we'll get plenty of protein in the main dish). I paired it with a basic couscous. Hopefully it will all still go well together! *crosses fingers*
over 3 years ago carswell
Mmmm. I have some merguez sausage in the freezer - sounds like a great combination with this salad.
almost 4 years ago Deborah Campbell
Love this!!! I used purple and golden carrots from the farmers market as well as orange and fresh heirloom tomatoes. Yumm. The color was great.
I'm making it for Thanksgiving dinner...to give tradition a twist
almost 4 years ago Amandadp
This is great and I love how simple it is. I will certainly make it again.
over 5 years ago Jestei
these are great. doubled them for a dinner party.
over 5 years ago wssmom
I amo so glad you enjoyed them!
over 5 years ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Sounds great--you should tag it vegetarian.
over 5 years ago wssmom
Thanks for the suggestion! (I can never figure out what to say except things like, yummy!)