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Roasted Carrots with Whipped Ricotta and Hot Honey

Roasted Carrots with Whipped Ricotta and Hot Honey

Roasted carrots with whipped ricotta and hot honey The dish that convinces every skeptic that vegetables can be the most exciting thing on the table. "This dish proves that the simplest ingredients, treated with just a little care and heat, can become something genuinely extraordinary."
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • For the carrots
  • 700 g / 1½ lb whole carrots scrubbed (or rainbow carrots for drama)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • Salt and black pepper
  • For the whipped ricotta
  • 250 g / 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Salt to taste
  • To finish
  • 3 –4 tbsp hot honey store-bought or homemade
  • Fresh thyme or fresh dill
  • Flaky sea salt
  • Toasted pine nuts or pistachios optional but wonderful

Method
 

  1. 1
  2. Preheat your oven to 220°C / 425°F. If your carrots are thin, leave them whole. If they're thick, halve them lengthways — you want roughly even pieces so they roast at the same rate.
  3. 2
  4. Toss the carrots on a large baking tray with olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, and plenty of black pepper. Spread them out in a single layer — overcrowding is the enemy of caramelization.
  5. 3
  6. Roast for 22–25 minutes, flipping halfway, until tender, golden, and caramelized at the edges.
  7. 4
  8. Meanwhile, blend the ricotta, olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a food processor for 60–90 seconds until completely smooth and airy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  9. 5
  10. Spread the whipped ricotta across a serving platter. Arrange the hot carrots on top, drizzle generously with hot honey, scatter fresh herbs, a pinch of flaky salt, and nuts if using. Serve immediately.

Notes

No food processor? A hand mixer or a fork and some elbow grease will do. The ricotta won't be quite as silky, but it'll still be delicious. Make your own hot honey by warming ½ cup of honey with ½ tsp chili flakes over low heat for 5 minutes, then straining. Whipped goat's cheese or labneh are excellent substitutes for the ricotta if that's what you have on hand.