Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad

By LeeBoruchow

Not very Italian, I know, but it really has some Italian sensibility and simplicity as its inspiration.

Ingredients

• 500 g medium differently coloured carrots, with their leafy tops
• 2 level teaspoons whole cumin seeds 1 or 2 small dried chillies,crumbled
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• extra virgin olive oil
• red or white wine vinegar
• 1 orange, halved
• 1 lemon, halved
• 3 ripe avocados
• red wine vinegar
• 4 x 1cm thick slices of ciabatta or other good-quality bread
• 2 handfuls of interesting mixed winter salad leaves (like Treviso, rocket, radicchio or cavolo nero tops), washed and spun dry
• 2 punnets of cress
• 1 x 142ml pot of soured cream
• 4 tablespoons mixed seeds, toasted

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Parboil carrots in boiling, salted water for 10 minutes, until they are very nearly cooked, then drain and put them into a roasting tray. While the carrots are cooking get a pestle and mortar and smash up the cumin seeds, chillies, salt and pepper. Add the garlic and thyme leaves and smash up again until you have a kind of paste. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to generously cover the paste, and a good swig of vinegar.

Stir together, then pour over the carrots in the tray, coating them well. Add the orange and lemon halves, cut-side down.

Place in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.
While the carrots are roasting, halve and peel avocados, discarding the stones, then cut them into wedges lengthways and place in a big bowl.

Remove the carrots from the oven and add them to the avocados. Carefully squeeze the roasted orange and lemon juice into a bowl and add the same amount of extra virgin olive oil and a little swig of red wine vinegar. Season, and pour this dressing over the carrots and avocados. Mix together and correct the seasoning. Toast or griddle the ciabatta slices.

Tear the toasted bread into little pieces and add to the dressed carrot and avocado. Mix together, toss in the salad leaves and cress and transfer to a big platter or divide between individual plates. Spoon over a nice dollop of sour cream, sprinkle toasted seeds and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil.