Tunisian Carrot Salad and Lamb Kabobs

I read a great article in the New York Times about French Rosh Hashanah recipes with North African origins, and the three recipes in the article sounded so good I couldn't get them out of my head. I really want to make the semolina pastry with dates, but since I'm going out of town tomorrow I didn't think it made much sense to make three dozen pastries a couple days before leaving. I decided on the Tunisian Carrot Salad, and some lamb seasoned with ras el hanout.

Serves 6-8
2 pounds carrots, peeled
1 teaspoon salt, or as needed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground caraway
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon harissa or other hot sauce
Fresh lemon juice, as needed, optional.



1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add carrots and 1 teaspoon salt. Boil until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, set aside a bowl of ice water. Transfer cooked carrots to the ice bath and chill.

2. Drain carrots, and cut into disks about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a bowl and add olive oil. Sprinkle with cumin, caraway, and coriander. Add harissa or hot sauce, and mix gently. Season with lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve at room temperature.



So you may notice A. the lack of pictures, and B. the lack of carrots. There were so few steps I barely had anything to take pictures of. And I cut the recipe into 1/4, to serve two people. The flavors in the carrot salad were great. Instead of making harissa, I bought a little bit from the falafel/schwarma place by my apartment.



I served it with cous cous with arugula mixed in, and lamb kabobs seasoned with ras el hanout. This was the first time I used ras el hanout and it was really good. It's a North African spice mixture with sometimes as many as 30 spices, although it greatly varies depending on where you get it. Some of the spices that are almost always included are coriander, cumin, cinnamon, peppercorn, and turmeric. I had to go to the Spice House to get it, as well as the caraway for the carrot salad. And I'm SO MAD that I forgot my camera because it's such a great store. Next time.

Have a great Labor Day weekend, I'll be back next week!