Sumac Roasted Carrot & Cannellini Bean Spread
Ricetta in italiano in fondo
There are some flavours and aromas that magically create a feeling of comfort for me. Among them are Mint, Za'atar, Tahini, Orange or Rose Blossom Water and Sumac. Mostly flavours of the middle east, clearly due to my origins, upbringing and mama's cooking.
When I was growing up hummus, tahini and za'atar were daily fare in our household. They certainly weren’t common household ingredients in a North American where I grew up, and up until a couple of years ago, unheard of in Italy where I live today. Our fridge was never without hummus, our pantry never without tahini and not a weekend went by that mama didn't make, or hop over to the Lebanese bakery to pick up, some fresh mana'eesh bi za'atar, a flat bread with an olive oil and za'atar paste.
Today these same ingredients are all the buzz all over the internet and social media. You know something has really made it big on the food scene when famous chefs and foodie websites start writing about it (I'm looking at you Food52, The Kitchn, Martha Stewart et al.)
Ingredient Spotlight
Sumac is one of those spices that seems to be gaining popularity lately. It's one of the primary ingredients in za'atar spice and a household staple in any middle eastern kitchen. It has a tangy, lemony flavour, but it's a lot less tart than lemon. It's wonderful rubbed on vegetables prior to roasting them (especially carrots and cauliflower), and sprinkled on foods before serving them, like hummus, labneh or fatoush, a typical Lebanese bread salad which I'm planning to bring you a recipe for this summer.
Nutrition 101
Sumac is part of the Poison Ivy family, BUT the sumac we eat, Staghorn Sumac, is NOT poisonous at all. Sumac berries are dry roasted, ground and sifted to produce sumac spice. Not only is it a delicious spice that can be used in many ways to liven up your meal, but it also offers some pretty important health benefits like antioxidant protection against free radicals, and has been shown to have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It's also a great way to add zing without the acidic properties of lemon if you happen to have an aversion. Go ahead, sprinkle it on.
Carrots need no introduction from me but let me just remind you of their magnificence. They are an excellent source of fiber as well as vitamin A or beta carotene, biotin, and vitamin K among many other vitamins and minerals. They are also loaded with antioxidants properties. To quote The World's Healthiest Foods:
"Different varieties of carrots contain differing amounts of these antioxidant phytonutrients. Red and purple carrots, for example, are best known for the rich anthocyanin content. Oranges are particularly outstanding in terms of beta-carotene, which accounts for 65% of their total carotenoid content. In yellow carrots, 50% of the total carotenoids come from lutein. You're going to receive outstanding antioxidant benefits from each of these carrot varieties!"
I've used all the colours in this recipe, but if you can't find them all, even just one variety will do, the colour of the spread will change as a result, but it will taste just as amazing.
Cannellini Beans, the creamy white beans used in this recipe are a staple in my diet and my favourite bean to use in soups, spreads and tarts, both savoury and sweet. They retain their shape and texture nicely in a soup, but also lend themselves well to being pureed. They are an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber and protein. They are also an excellent source of folate, iron, manganese and magnesium among other vitamins and minerals.
Here, sumac is rubbed on tricoloured heirloom carrots, which are then roasted with garlic and blended with cannellini/white beans, Herbamare, fine sea salt, paprika, some more sumac and a hint of lemon juice to create this deliciously creamy tangy spread, perfect for sandwiches, crackers or crudités.
Sumac Roasted Carrot & Cannellini Bean Spread
Servings: 2 cups Time: 40 min (when using pre-cooked beans) Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
6 Carrots (I used heirloom carrots in orange, yellow and purple, about 2 heaping cups once chopped)
1 C Cooked Cannellini Beans, really soft (jarred/canned works well here too)
4 Small Cloves of Garlic, whole, peeled
1/4 Tsp Herbamare
Pinch Fine Sea Salt
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1/2-1 Tsp Sumac Spice, to taste
1/4 Tsp Paprika
Neutral Unscented Coconut oil for roasting carrots (optional, omit for oil free)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Filtered Water, as needed to emulsify and achieve a smooth consistency
Method
Preheat oven to 180 C and line a baking tray with parchment paper
Slice the carrots into diagonal medallions, coat with a bit of coconut oil (if using), and sprinkle with Herbamare and half the sumac.
Place carrots and garlic in a single layer on the baking tray and bake on the centre rack for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Scrape the cooled carrots and garlic and all the sumac off the tray/parchment paper and into a food processor.
Process on high speed until the carrots are broken down into small pieces.
Add in cannellini beans, paprika, remaining sumac, sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice and process again until you have a smooth and spreadable consistency. You may need to add a couple of drops of water to get things moving, but again don't add too much. You want a thick spread not a runny liquidy dip. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with more sumac, and serve with crackers, bread, and crudités.
crema di cannellini e Carote arrostite al sumac
Porzioni: 2 tazze Tempo: 40 min (con cannellini già cotti) Difficoltà: Facile
Ingredienti
6 carote (ho usato un mix di carote arancione, gialle e viola, circa 2 tazze una volta tritate)
1 tazza di fagioli cannellini precedentemente cotti (anche quelli in vaso di vetro vanno bene)
4 piccoli spicchi di aglio, interi, pelati
1/4 cucchiaino di Herbamare
Un pizzico di sale marino
Succo di 1/2 limone, spremuto al momento
1 cucchiaino di Sumac
1/4 cucchiaino di Paprika
Olio di Cocco Deodorato o Olio di Avocado per la cottura delle carote (facoltativo, omettere per oil free)
Olio extravergine di Oliva per emulsionare e ottenere una consistenza morbida (sostituire con acqua filtrata per oil free)
Metodo
Scaldare il forno a 180 ° C e foderare una teglia da forno con carta da forno
Tagliare le carote in medaglioni sul diagonale, massaggiarle con un filo di olio di cocco o avocado, e metterle sulla teglia insieme al aglio.
Cospargere le carote con Herbamare e metà del sumac e infornare per circa 30 minuti sulla griglia centrale del forno.
Togliere le carote dal forno e lasciarle raffreddare per 10 minuti poi trasferire tutto nel robot da cucina.
Frullare ad alta velocità fino a quando le carote sono suddivise in piccoli pezzi.
Aggiungere i fagioli cannellini, la paprika, il sumac rimanente, il sale marino, l’olio di oliva e il succo di limone e frullare di nuovo fino ad ottenere una consistenza liscia e spalmabile.
Potrebbe essere necessario aggiungere qualche goccia di acqua per ottenere una consistenza cremosa e spalmabile ma non aggiungere troppo altrimenti verebbe troppo liquida.
Regolare di sale e sumac a piacere.
Trasferire in una ciotola, condire con olio extravergine di oliva, cospargere con altro sumac e servire con cracker, pane e cruditè.
