This recipe is a cheeky one, having peas and carrots as the theme. Apricots are also in season right now and I had some inspiration from a dish I recently ate in L.A. with apricots and carrots paired together. I decided to take this concept and make it my own, revolving it around fresh peas. The original dish I prepared actually contained a piece of seared black cod that I placed in the center of the plate. So you could add this to the recipe if you wanted to make it a little heartier, but it has enough flavor and substance to stand on its own without the fish. All great food comes starts with great ingredients. Growing your own food or sourcing from local farmers who grow great produce is the first step. The second is execution, here is the recipe and I hope you enjoy it.
2-3 bunches of mixed color carrots (white, orange, purple)
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Pea Sauce
1 cup of blanched english peas
1/2 can of coconut milk
3 sprigs of mint leaves
Salt to taste
Curried Carrot-apricot puree
2 orange carrots sliced thin
6 small apricots cut in half and seed removed
1 tsp of curry powder
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of sugar
water as needed
salt to taste
1 cup of blanched english peas
1 tbsp of chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt and pepper
6 apricots cut in half and seed removed
2 tbsp of olive oil
Micro pea tendrils and carrot greens
1/4 cup Dehydrated peas ground up into powder
For the English pea sauce,
Place a small pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Place the english peas in the water to blanch for about 1 1/2 minutes or until the peas are tender. Strain out and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Then place them in a blend with coconut milk and mint. Puree until bright green and smooth. Season with salt, strain the sauce and set aside.
For the Carrot apricot puree,
Place olive oil, carrots, and apricots in a medium size pot on medium high. Add 2 pinches of salt to the pot and cover. Cook for 7 minutes and then add curry powder, and sugar. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of water and cook for another 7 minutes or until the carrots are tender and the apricots have broken down. Place in a vitamix and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.
For the carrots,
Divide the carrots evenly into 1/3's by color. There is three different preparations and you want about the same amount in each preparation. One preparation is shaving the carrots paper thin and keeping them in ice water. The second preparation of the carrots is blanching them. The third preparation of the carrots is tossing them in olive oil and cumin and then grilling the carrots with a slight char on the outside. After the carrots are blanched and grilled you can cut them half or whatever desired shape you want and set aside.
To finish,
Take the 6 apricots that are cut in half and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Place on the grill and grill for 2 minutes or until they have a nice grill mark then flip over for 1 minute. Remove the apricots from the grill and set aside. Take a few spoons of the pea sauce and spread in a circle around the plate. Then in a bowl add blanched english peas, olive oil, and chopped mint. Season with salt and pepper; distribute the peas around the sauce. Then add 2 spoonfuls of the apricot puree to the plate. Place three halves of grilled apricots down on the plate. Then distribute the 3 varieties and preparations of carrots around the plate making sure they are all seasoned well. Finish with pea tendrils, micro carrot, and pea powder. Drizzle the whole plate with olive oil, serve and enjoy!
