Embracing the weekly bounty of fresh summer vegetables sparks endless creativity in the kitchen, inspiring delightful culinary experiments and innovative dishes. That was the thought when we found ourselves with 3 pounds of beautiful local carrots. My day began with the excess amount of beautiful carrots and the hunt for the next fun recipe.

The recipe itself was found while relaxing on the deck in our sun enjoying a light breeze on a weekend morning, combing though cookbooks or recipes online.  This is a place you’ll find me often – weather permitting, of course.

Fresh carrots from the CSA or farmers market are so very different from the standard store purchase. They take me back to when I was that proverbial Midwestern kid who played outside all day with siblings and neighbors, who’s dad had an immense garden, and when we were hungry from all the running around, we went to the garden. 

Snap peas, green beans, or strawberries off the vine were great, but being able to gage what carrots were ready and then seeing their shape when pulling one out of the ground was even better.  Just a quick hit from the garden hose to rinse off the dirt, and there we had a quick snack before running off for our next adventure.

This recipe will create its own adventure for you, and the results are just as fun!  The food processor will do all the work, but you will need a little patience for the roasting of the almonds and carrots.  When that’s done, you can throw it all in the food processor and get ready for some smokey carrot goodness.  This will make about 2 cups and it can be stored in the fridge for about 1 week. The adventure will be in deciding what to serve it with (options below).

The smokiness in this dish comes from smoked paprika, a Spanish delicacy crafted by slowly smoking pimentón (a pepper variety from La Vera, southwestern Spain) over oak. It offers a rich, smoky, earthy, and slightly spicy taste that sets it apart from regular paprika. Your senses will know the difference when you open the top of the paprika and the smoke enters the room.

Serve the dip with crackers or toasts, crisp cut veggies – like cucumbers, radishes, jicama, celery (the list truly could go on and on), or on strong lettuce, like endive leaves or strips of radicchio. You really cannot go wrong.

One of the days of making this for a group, I served this as part of a trio of dips: Roasted Smokey Carrot Dip, Roasted Walnut Dip, and Smoked Salmon Dip – all served on radicchio leaves. The results were a fun entertaining mix with all the crackers and veggies, it was a choose your own adventure appetizer for the group. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Roasted Smokey Carrot Dip

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup skin on almonds
• 2 lbs carrots, trimmed and peeled
• 2 Tbls, plus 1/2 cup olive oil, and extra for serving
• 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup chickpeas
• 3+ Tbls fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 tsp hot smoked Spanish paprika
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Preparation:

Roast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet for 8-10 minutes in a 350° oven.  While roasting, prep carrots by cutting long way in half and then into 3-4 pieces.  The goal is to get them all approximately the same size.

Using a parchment lined baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 Tbls oil and 1 tsp salt and spread evenly on the sheet.  Roast in the oven until cooked through and tender, approximately 1 hour. Let cool slightly.

Transfer carrots to a food processor, and add remaining ingredients and process until smooth.  Add more olive oil if needed or cold water to help bind. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt or pepper, to your taste.

Serve drizzled with more olive oil and parsley. Great with sourdough crackers, toasted baguette, or on endive leaves.

Happy Processing!!!

*Recipe from Bon Appetit website, creator Ochre Bakery, Detroit, MI