Grilled Carrots with Picada
Think of picada as a Spanish pesto. Essentially finely chopped or pulverised nuts with olive oil, herbs and garlic used to brighten and jazz up other perhaps bland dishes, particularly in austere times. The texture of the two are similar but they taste very different.
As with pesto, picada has been around centuries and there are countless ways to make it. Often used to thicken stews and soups, some recipes call for bread in the ingredients but we’re using it to add flavour and texture to simple roast carrots and want to pack in as much punch into every mouthful. The nuttiness tastes so good with the sweet, earthy carrots.
Ingredients
1 handful of blanched hazelnuts (around half a cup)
1 handful of croutons
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, smashed
2 tbsp minced parsley
½ tsp lemon zest
4-5 saffron threads (optional)
10 smallish heirloom carrots of mixed colours (tastes the same as regular but looks prettier on the plate) around 1-1½cm in thickness
Method
1. Trim the stalks from the carrots and give the skin a scrub with a vegetable brush and set aside.
2. Place a cast iron skillet on the grill, add the hazelnuts and gently toast until starting to brown. Don’t burn or they’ll go bitter.
3. If you are using saffron, add this to the hazelnuts for the last minute or two.
4. Once toasted, allow to cool and add the nuts (and saffron) to a mortar and pestle or a mini-food blender and lightly blitz (just one or two pulses so the texture remains coarse) with the oil, garlic, croutons and parsley.
5. Lightly coat the carrots with oil and place on the grill over medium heat.
6. Roast gently for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
7. Place the cooked carrots on to a serving dish and spoon over the picada.
More Recipes Ideas from Jon Finch
Method
1. Trim the stalks from the carrots and give the skin a scrub with a vegetable brush and set aside.
2. Place a cast iron skillet on the grill, add the hazelnuts and gently toast until starting to brown. Don’t burn or they’ll go bitter.
3. If you are using saffron, add this to the hazelnuts for the last minute or two.
4. Once toasted, allow to cool and add the nuts (and saffron) to a mortar and pestle or a mini-food blender and lightly blitz (just one or two pulses so the texture remains coarse) with the oil, garlic, croutons and parsley.
5. Lightly coat the carrots with oil and place on the grill over medium heat.
6. Roast gently for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
7. Place the cooked carrots on to a serving dish and spoon over the picada.
