Friday, November 22, 2019

Cocette's Moroccan Carrots


carrot moroccan, bunch of cleaned carrots

Moroccan spiced carrots are a tasty and popular side dish, but there are as many different recipes for these carrots as there are cooks. However one thing is almost always certain, Middle Eastern and North African recipes tend to favor savory and spicy flavors in their vegetables rather than sweet ingredients. 






sliced carrots Moroccan


This carrot recipe is seasoned with garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, lemon, salt, and pepper.
It is a tangy, delicious recipe that is easy, frugal, and a little spicy.


cilantro sliced

I live in a very diverse community in South Florida in the winter. In addition to many Latino, Russian, and French Canadians, there is also a significant community of Sephardic Jews who immigrated to the USA from Arab countries prior to 1968. These are people whose families were born and lived in countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Syria, for many generations prior to immigrating to the US or Canada.



Moroccan carrot salad in a pyrex container


I visited Tangier, Morocco last May. Our tour guide took us to a colorful restaurant that reflected the style and flavors of the region. 

Moroccan dinner setting



We were touring during the holy month Ramadan, therefore the staff and locals were fasting during the day. Ramadan is a Muslim holiday that is a month long. Adults fast from sunrise to sunset throughout the entire month. It is a time of prayer, fasting, self reflecting, and community. After sunset each night, the streets were filled with all kinds of delicious foods to break the daily fast. 

I have to admit as a gluten free vegetarian, I was limited to what I could eat. Dishes such as cous cous, spinach pies, cake and cookie recipes were obviously not gluten free, and it was somewhat difficult to ask questions and communicate about the ingredients. I ate mostly salads and chickpeas during my time in Tangier!



Moroccan food for Ramadan break fast
Food Prepared For Breaking the Fast

Food prepared for Ramadan Break Fast

Food for Breaking the Fast








All of the Moroccan food and pastries looked and smelled delicious! 

I have many Moroccan Jewish friends who live in Florida at least for the winter. These women are very family oriented and amazing cooks who have carried the flavors and recipes of Morocco with them from their birthplace.  One such friend is Nancy. Her nickname is Cocette. She immigrated to the US as an adult.

This is Cocette's traditional family recipe for Moroccan carrots.
Nancy is an outstanding cook and cooks up a storm every week for a family Shabbat (Sabbath) meal! 
Her Moroccan carrot recipe is authentic and exceptional full of warming spices and freshly squeezed lemon!

Next time you are looking for an interesting side dish, change it up with this easy naturally gluten free and vegan Moroccan side dish.

Ingredients

6 full sized carrots peeled and sliced
1/4 olive oil
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup fresh parsley or fresh spinach
Directions

Cut the carrots into half inch slices and set aside.
In a skillet, add the olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper. Stir and sautee for 2 minutes. Add the sliced carrots, lemon juice and water. Stir well, cover and cook on a low heat for about 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat and add salt and parsley.   

My Notes: 
1. I like to lightly steam my sliced carrots before I add them to the mixture to ensure that my carrots are soft. This is another post with my personal Moroccan Carrot Recipe

pretty decorated plate with a bunch of carrots

This post is shared on Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads where anyone can share a food related post.


13 comments:

  1. I love all the warming spices in this simple yet delicious side dish!

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  2. Oh, the photos of those stuffed 'pocket' sandwiches make my mouth water!I love cumin, so your carrot recipe would b a winner with me!

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  3. I bet these taste wonderful! How lucky you are to have all those friends nearby when you're in Florida!

    Shirley

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  4. Your photos of Moroccan pastries are beautiful! I would love to go there.

    I was a little surprised that you identified Morocco and the other North African countries as part of the Middle East, though I gather those countries are sometimes included with the Eastern Mediterranean and parts of Asia. In any case, the Jewish communities in Israel that immigrated from those countries have indeed made their cuisine part of Israeli cuisine, and thus introduced it to the more traditional geographic Middle East. Spiced carrots are often served on Mezze platters in Israeli restaurants -- I'm glad to see your recipe.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  5. That would be a great side to bring to family gatherings. I bet those spices on carrots are amazing

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  6. I love Moroccan carrots -- your version sounds wonderful. The photos of all the different foods are awesome; everything looks delicious.

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  7. Mae,
    Thank you for pointing out that some of the countries I mentioned are actually in North Africa not the Middle East.. I made the correction. - Thanks

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  8. Wow, all that food looks great. When do we get recipes for all the pictures? ;)

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  9. That table setting was beautiful, and all the foods very tempting. I think those carrots would be a perfect and delicious side for my Thanksgiving dinner.

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  10. I had the best ever carrot soup in my life in Morocco!

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  11. I was completely astonished to find that one of the best cakes I ever ate was a carrot cake. I never would have guessed it. These carrots look delicious.

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  12. I made this, and it was delicious. Next time, I plan to steam carrots a bit as you do.
    Thanks for the recipe, Judee.

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  13. I'm definitely going to make these, they sound delicious.

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