Carrot Top Chermoula
Chermoula is a Moroccan marinade typically made with cilantro, cumin and other spices. It’s often used in tagines, a type of stew named for the vessel it’s cooked in—a clay or ceramic pot with a shallow base and a tall, conical top. In this version of chermoula, carrot tops provide the bulk of the marinade with a bit of cilantro for its distinctive peppery, lemony flavour.
- 2 tsp cumin seed
- 1 1/2 tsp fennel seed
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander seed
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 2 cups chopped carrot tops
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
Combine cumin, fennel, coriander and chili flakes in a cast-iron frying pan. Dry-roast over medium heat until aromatic—about 5 minutes. (Be prepared to sneeze: the capsaicin from the heating chili flakes can be pronounced.)
Grind toasted spices with a mortar and pestle and add to a food processor, along with the chopped herbs and garlic. Pulse several times until the mixture is coarsely ground, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
Add lemon juice, pulse and then, with the machine running, pour in olive oil in a steady stream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again to make sure you’ve got all the good bits, then taste and add salt. Pulse once more to combine.
Decant into a bowl with a cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook. Will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.