Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas & Herbed Crème Fraîche Recipe

Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas & Herbed Crème Fraîche Recipe :-On your holiday table, this meal is an incredibly gorgeous vegetarian option that you might consider serving. You may refer to it as a main dish for vegetarians and a side dish for everyone else eating it. It can also be a well-balanced supper option on a weeknight or for a special occasion.

In the event that you appear to be familiar with this dish, it is because it is one of my all-time favorites. Additionally, a tahini sauce version of it was included in my cookbook as a variant. I’m going to share it once more with you today, this time with updated photographs and a video so that you can see how everything comes together.

Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas & Herbed Crème Fraîche Recipe

INGREDIENTS :

Farro and chickpeas

• 1 cup dried farro, rinsed
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas

Roasted carrots

• 1 pound slender heirloom carrots, scrubbed clean and patted dry (I didn’t peel mine)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper

Spiced pepitas

• 3 tablespoons pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
• ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of cumin
• Pinch of chili powder
• Pinch of salt

Herbed crème fraîche

• ⅓ cup crème fraîche
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons water
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Garnish

• 1 more tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS :

• For the purpose of cooking the farro, combine the farro that has been rinsed with at least three cups of water in a saucepan of medium size. The water should be sufficient to cover the farro by 2 to 3 inches. The water should be brought to a boil, and then the heat should be reduced to a simmer.
• Cook the farro, tossing it regularly, until it is tender to the bite but still has a delightful chewiness to it (the cooking time for pearled farro is approximately 15 minutes, while the cooking time for unprocessed farro is between 25 and 40 minutes).
• The farro should be returned to the saucepan when the excess water has been drained off. Put in one teaspoon of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, garlic, and half a teaspoon of salt. After a thorough mixing, add the chickpeas and swirl to integrate everything. It should be put aside, covered, until you are ready to put it together.

• For the carrots to be roasted: Put the oven on to a temperature of 425 degrees Fahrenheit. The carrots should be placed on a big baking sheet with a rim that has been lined with parchment paper. To season them, add cumin, salt, and pepper on top, and drizzle them with one tablespoon of olive oil.
• You should use your fingers to ensure that the carrots are covered in oil and spices in a manner that is both light and even. To ensure that the carrots are tender and readily punctured by a fork near the top of their stems, roast them for twenty to thirty-five minutes.
• The length of time it takes to roast your carrots is totally determined by their size. When the carrots had been cooking for twenty minutes, I took some of the more thin ones and checked on them at intervals of five minutes after that. I withdrew the carrots as soon as they were ready.

• To achieve the desired effect of toasting the pepitas, heat ½ teaspoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Include the pepitas, as well as generous amounts of cumin, chili powder, and salt in the mixture.
• Continue to cook the pepitas while stirring them regularly until they begin to make little popping noises and the edges of the pepitas begin to become golden. Put away from the heat to chill off.
• In order to make the herbed crème fraîche, take a small bowl and mix together the crème fraîche, one tablespoon of minced parsley, water, and a few dashes of salt and pepper. Mix everything together, then leave it aside.

• After the farro and chickpea mixture has been poured onto a large serving platter, the meal can then be fully assembled. After the mixture has been prepared, arrange the carrots in a single layer.
• A liberal amount of crème fraîche flavored with herbs can be drizzled over the carrots, and then pepitas and one tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley should be sprinkled on high. The meal can be served immediately, or it can be let to cool to room temperature; either way, it is delicious!

NOTES :

• If you want to make it gluten-free, you may replace the farro with brown rice or wild rice and alter the cooking method and adjusting the cooking time appropriately.
• TO MAKE IT VEGETABLE AND DAIRY-FREE:For this dish, a lemony tahini sauce with parsley is also delicious. First, combine ⅓ cup of tahini, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
• After that, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of water to the mixture in order to thin it down. Salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice can be added to taste to improve the flavor.