With this ingredient-driven side dish, we’re using a unique blue cheese that gets its yellow color naturally from ground annatto seed. It’s a delicate blue that has just enough funk to it, and it pairs beautifully with these preserved plums and roasted early season carrots. We’ve been fortunate to eat these little baby farm carrots straight from the soil at Klippers Organics; they’re perfectly crunchy, and delightful.
Cooking
Preserved plum mostarda
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds, soaked overnight (see Note)
1 large onion, cut in small dice
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons dry mustard
1 cup large diced Preserved Plums, liquid strained
2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme leaves
Note: Soak the yellow mustard seeds in 2 cups water for 12 to 24 hours. When ready, strain out the liquid.
In a medium saucepot on medium heat, sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they are soft and translucent. Season with the salt and pepper and add the sugar and lemon juice. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the dry mustard and Preserved Plums and continue to cook until the liquid has again reduced by half. Add the thyme and the soaked mustard seeds for the last 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use, up to 1 week.
Roasted carrots
12 carrots, each about 8 inches long
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash and scrub any dirt off the carrots; you do not have to peel or trim them. In a large bowl or pan, mix the carrots with the olive oil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the carrots and thyme out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until the carrots are cooked through but still retain some crunch. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your carrots. Serve immediately.
Plating
1 recipe Roasted Carrots (above)
¼ cup crumbled Shropshire blue cheese
½ cup Preserved Plum Mostarda
Sweet cicely or other garden herbs, for garnish
Lay out the roasted carrots on a serving plate. Add the cheese over top, and drizzle with the Preserved Plum Mostarda. Garnish with sweet cicely or garden herbs of your choice.
Excerpted from Acorn by Shira Blustein. Copyright © 2021 Shira Blustein. Photography by Gabriel Cabrera. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
