Morroccan Carrots with Carrot Green Chermoula

Carrots
1 bunch of local colorful carrots, with the greens still attached

Chermoula Sauce:
2 cloves garlic
1 packed cup of the leafy fronds from the carrot greens (not the stems)
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 sprig of mint (optional)
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. paprika
Pinch of spicy pepper
Salt
¼ cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup plain yogurt (can be non-fat)

6 glasses or Moroccan tea cups

Chop off the tops of the carrots, and scrub well. You can leave a little bit of a green tip at the top. Slice vertically in halves or quarters, depending on how big the carrots are.

Meanwhile, chop up the garlic to a fine paste. You can do this whole process quite quickly in a mini blender. Add the carrot greens and cilantro and keep blending. Add in the spices, a dash of salt, the olive oil and lemon juice, and blend until thoroughly combined. Add the yogurt and process a bit more.

Spoon the chermoula sauce into the Moroccan tea cups or tall glasses and then place a few carrots standing up in the cups.

You can use a variety of dried chiles for this recipe. The proportions of chile and spice is totally up to you. In Morocco, every family has their own version of this spice paste. The roasted red pepper adds a sweetness that tames this one down a little bit.
You can also purchase Harissa from Alili, a purveyor of Moroccan products.

3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 Ancho Chiles
3 New Mexico Chiles
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and deseeded
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
1 ½ teaspoons coriander
pinch cinnamon
pinch ground mace
Lemon zest and juice (Optional)

Lightly toast the chiles in a dry skillet, transfer to a bowl, and cover with very hot water.
When they are soft and tender, drain them of the soaking liquid and remove their stems. Roughly chop them.
In a food processor, mince the garlic. Add the roughly chopped chiles and salt and continue to process.
Roughly chop the bell pepper and add to the mixture. Pour in the olive oil to keep the mixture moving.
Add the spices, lemon zest, and juice, and process until the mixture is smooth.

For the Crab:
½ lb Dungeness crab meat
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil (or olive oil if you don’t have sesame)
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Mix together the crab, ginger, sesame oil, lime juice, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl and keep cold until ready for use.

For the Rolls:
12 rice paper rolls
½ peach, sliced in thin strips
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, de-seeded, and julienned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut in thin strips
1 cucumber, peeled and cut in thin strips
1 handful fresh cilantro
a few sprigs of mint or shiso leaves
¼ cup toasted cashews or peanuts, crumbled

The idea here is to have all of the vegetables and peach cut in the same way, so they can line up together inside the roll. Try to get them all to be about 5 inches long, and cut in thin strips. Place the peach, red pepper, carrot, avocado, and cucumber side by side on one long plate (as in an assembly line). Have the herbs rinsed and ready on another plate, as well as a third small dish with the toasted nuts.

Dip the rice paper rolls 1 or 2 at a time in a bowl with hot water. Remove them one at a time, and place on a cloth towel. Spread out so it is the full circle, and dab with the cloth to dry off any excess moisture. They should be slightly damp, but sticky.
Place one piece of peach and each vegetable in the center of the circle. Top with a few pieces of herbs, the crab, and finally the nuts. Bring up the bottom flap to cover the bottom of the veggies, fold over the top, and then roll in each side to seal.
Repeat with the remaining rolls and serve with the dipping sauce.

Makes 12 rolls.

Sesame leaves are also known as Perilla, Shiso, and Beafsteak plant. They are green with a tinge of purple (purple is a shade of green), and have ridged edges. Their flavor is quite like mint, but with slight nutty undertones. You can toss them into salads or add to stir-fries. We like to eat them like little dolmas (stuffed)- by stuffing different foods inside and rolling them up like a cigar. This recipe is with a fusion Asian Salmon Ceviche, but we also like rolling strawberries and cream up for a sweet treat as well.

For Salmon Ceviche Marinade:
1 8-ounce wild Alaskan salmon, skinned
Lemon and/or Lime juice to cover, about 3 fruits total
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil – O Olive Oil Jalapeno Lime is perfect for this recipe

Mix together the lemon and lime juice, miso, and garlic in a non-reactive container.
Cube the salmon in small dice and add to the marinade. Let the salmon rest for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.

To finish:
12-16 sesame leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion (white and pale green parts)
½ teaspoon finely minced Thai bird chile or chile Serrano
1 sprig of mint, finely chopped
Some cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tahini
½ teaspoon sesame seeds

Place a dollop of the mixture on each leaf and wrap up, starting from narrow end. Secure by carefully pushing the pointy stem through the leaf.
Note: You can also spread a small amount of tahini on the leaf, then dollop with the salmon mixture, without mixing the tablespoon into the salmon ceviche preparation.

Makes 12-16 Sesame Cigars