Cooking with carrots: Halwa is great but have you tried gajar romesco or pizza?

What is the first word that comes to mind when one says carrots More often than not for Indians it is gajar ka halwaWhile the pudding is a classic carrot cake isnrsquot far behind Ever since more people have started working from home due to the ongoing Covid19 pandemic it has given many a chance to enter the kitchen and don the chefrsquos hat It is time to take those cooking skills up a notch and use the vegetable in a myriad interesting ways that go beyond the standard favouritesMidday Online asked city chefs to share innovative recipes They recommend roasting carrots reducing them into sauces turning them into kebabs pairing them with cheese and even using them as a star ingredient for a pizzaCarrot robata by Chef Amol Phute at Bastian Across all outletsAt Bastian Chef Phute explores dishes with regularsized carrots as well as baby ones which the restaurant gets from its vendor farmers He reminds that a lot more can be done with carrots than just using them for gajar ka halwa Roasting or grilling is the easiest among them Just tossing them in some spices and oil and grilling them brings out the rich flavours of carrots he explains As a part of their winter menu the restaurant serves a grilled baby carrot dish which is tossed in spices and served with a carrot romesco sauce and carrot chips and duqqaIngredientsFor carrot romescoNuts 14 cup garlic 2 to 3 cloves chilli to taste Carrots 500 gms Roasted rough cut or baby carrots salt and pepper to taste olive oilMethodRoast and grind all the ingredients together season with salt and pepper to tasteFor Duqqa Almond 12 cup sesame seed 14 cup salt and sugar paprika 1 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp Method1 Roast and grind all the ingredients together season with salt and pepper to taste2 On a generous layer of Romanesco and duqqa lay some of the whole roast carrots3 You could top them with some thinly sliced baked carrot chipsChef Anuradha Joshi uses the seasonal ingredient to make a delicious Borani ke kebab with minced meat and caramelised onion gravy Photo Charoli Borani ke kebab by Chef Anuradha Joshi at Charoli Bandra WestCarrots can be dessert and main course but Chef Joshi says they can also be made into succulent kebabs The minced meat kebabs are stuffed with chunks of winter carrots cooked on dum in a caramelised onion gravy She explains Itrsquos a savoury subtly flavoured dish that depends more on technique and the hidden flavours of sweet carrots with red meat and spices that extract maximum natural flavours of the main ingredients The steaming kebabs seem like a perfect option on a winter evening if you dont want to experiment and make an elaborate dish out of the vegetable IngredientsMinced meat 500 gms Ghee 1 teaspoon salt to taste ginger 1 tsp garam masala 12 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp egg 1 no carrots peeled and cut into chunks of 15 inches ghee 15 small bowl onions 2 large julienned fresh curd 2 small bowls garlic 12 tsp rice powder 1 tsp pinch of saffron cloves 812 pcsMethod1 Boil kheema in sufficient water add 1 teaspoon of ghee salt coriander powder garam masala and ginger2 Once dry make a paste3 Add the egg4 Boil the carrots till they are tender Remove and dry on kitchen towels5 Once cool coat the carrots with ground meat Make sure itrsquos evenly covered Panfry in ghee and keep aside6 Take 1 tablespoon of ghee in a thigh bottomed pan and fry the onions7 Remove and keep on the side8 In the same ghee add a mix of curd garlic paste rice powder salt and saffron9 Stir well10 Add the kebabs that are fried to this pan11 In another kadhai take 1 teaspoon of ghee add the cloves and pour this over the kebabs and gravy 12 Now add the caramelised onions and put it on dum13 Remove after 10 15 minutes and serve hotExperimenting with carrots Chef Nitish Kumar Singh pairs them with ricotta to make a terrine which he says is a perfect sweet and savoury combination Photo Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat amp SpaCarrot and ricotta terrine by Nitish Kumar Singh executive chef at Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat amp Spa PunePlaying around with flavours Chef Singh says carrots and ricotta complement each other very well because carrots are mildly sweet and ricotta is mildly sharp and savoury Interestingly he says it makes for a perfect healthy dish and should definitely be one to try out for those who are healthconsciousIngredientsCarrot 220 gms ricotta cheese 150gms Agar Agar 5 gms salt 2 gms Method1 Firstly take nice sweet seasonal carrots and roughly chop them2 Then take a saucepan add water and chopped carrots and boil them3 Strain the boiled carrots bring down to room temperature and make a fine puree of the mixture4 Bring the fine puree to the pan add agar agar salt and cook well till the mixture becomes a little tight5 Side by side take a bowl add ricotta cheese and slightly beat the cheese to dissolve the lumps6 Finally bring the carrot mixture to the rolling mat and spread it thick Add battered ricotta cheese in the center and roll it to give a cylinder shape7 Then deep freeze the cylinder for a few hours to make it stiff8 On finding the roll has taken the shape bring out demould it and cut into the desired shape and serveA unique take on carrots Chef Kekade converts the vegetable into zoodles and combines it with a delicious sage beurre noisette Photo Sante Spa CuisineWinter carrot zoodles sage beurre noisette by Chef Shailendra Kekade Sante Spa Cuisine Khar WestBeing a firm believer in seasonal ingredients Chef Kekade says this recipe celebrates carrots in their full glory He explains Playing on its firm and crunchy texture we add more earthy flavours with the sage and the olives a slight tanginess with the cherry tomatoes and the dish gets a rounded mouthfeel with the use of burnt butter and parmesanIngredientsCarrot zoodles 250 gms butter 60 gms sage 05 gms kalamata olives 30 gms green cherry tomatoes 20 gms parmesan cheese 20 gms Method1 Make fine zoodles of fresh carrots lengthwise and blanch them in a vegetable stock al dente2 Stone the olives halve the cherry tomatoes and pluck the sage leaves and set aside3 Make Beurre Noisette by adding butter to a hot pan and cooking it till a nutty flavour is achieved4 Quickly add the sage leaves so as to have the flavour imbibe in the butter5 Add the olives tomatoes and the carrot zoodles and toss in the butter to coat the ingredients6 Finish off with finely grated parmesan cheese and serve piping hot in a pasta bowlChef Lasrado uses a zerowaste approach to make a pizza with every part of the carrot Photo Smoke House Deli Carrot top pesto pizza by Chef Rollin Lasrado Smoke House Deli across all outletsIt is easy to imagine a halwa or dessert made from carrot or even a local dish but as famous as pizzas are it is hard to imagine the winter ingredient as the start of the Italian favourite and thatrsquos where Chef Lasrado stands out He uses a zerowaste approach with this pizza by using every part of the carrot and converts it into a colourful dish He explains The bitterness of the greens along with the herbs adds a bit of complexity and depth while also being great for digestionIngredientsFor the pizza doughHigh gluten flour plus more for dusting 500 gms cold water 315 gms yeast 2 gms salt 10 gms extra virgin olive oil 30 mlFor the toppings and assemblyGrated parmesan cheese 70 gms almonds deskinned and toasted 100 gms small garlic grated 1 no lime juice of 1 lime fresh basil cleaned and dried 80 gms tender carrot tops stems and leaves cleaned well and dried 80 gms extra virgin olive oil 100 ml fresh mint leaves cleaned and dried 40 gms fresh mozzarella sliced or torn 200 gms salt to taste black pepper to taste baby carrots coloured are better 500 gms Jalapenos optional pea shoots herbs for garnish honey 50 gms vinegar 30 ml sugar 10 gms water 300 mlMethodFor the dough1 Put all ingredients into a bowl and leave aside for 20 minutes2 Knead either by hand or by machine until you make a soft dough Use oil as required to remove the dough from the bowl and place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth to proof till double in size3 Remove from the bowl knock back the excess air and portion out into 200 gm portions Place on a greased tray and cover4 Place in the fridge to proof for 24 hours You could also leave it at room temperature in a cool space to proof until it doubles in sizeFor the pesto1 Blend the garlic most of the parmesan cheese amp the almonds along with 2 tbsp of the olive oil2 Once blended add the herbs basil mint and carrot tops in batches and blend until smooth3 Add olive oil as required Season with salt and black pepper and add lime juice as requiredFor the carrots1 Wash all the carrots properly to ensure that there is no mud on them Cut about twothirds of them as required in halves quarters or keep them whole as per size2 Place the carrots on a baking tray Marinate with olive oil salt and pepper Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes then toss with some honey and keep aside to cool3 Thinly slice the remaining carrots4 Make a quick pickling solution using hot water salt sugar and white vinegar Leave it to cool and chill in the fridge Place all the thinly sliced carrots in this cold pickling solution This will last in the fridge for about a week or two And works amazing in salads or sandwiches or as a side as wellTo assemble1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees or the highest it goes2 On a lightly greased baking sheet roll or stretch out the dough from the centre outwards leaving a 1cm border on the outside until about 12inch diameter3 Using a brush apply a thin layer of olive oil then spread some of the carrot top pesto on the dough then top with the honey marinated carrots do not use too much honey or it will caramelize quickly and burn some of the fresh mozzarella4 Bake on the top rack of your oven until the crust is a deep golden brown and crisp depending on the temperature it will take between 5 ndash 15 minutes If it is getting burnt and still remaining raw take it out of the oven turn the pan half way around and place in the middle rack until done5 Remove from the oven leave it to cool for about a minute on a wire rack then cut into slices or wedges Garnish with some grated parmesan toasted almonds pickled carrots carrot tops basil leaves and other herbs Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately