A good cook rarely makes a dish the same way twice, said April Bloomfield in A Girl and Her Pig (Ecco). Much of the approach remains the same, but it’s necessary to adjust to the ingredients on hand because “what you’re after is balance.” You might need more summer tomatoes in a certain soup than the canned tomatoes they’re replacing. At “the place where all the flavors achieve an equilibrium,” each spoonful “should make you want to take another.”
I call the dish below my Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon salad, because I arrived at its combination of ingredients indirectly. Avocado and tender roasted carrots “might not seem compatible,” but hang on: The carrots are roasted with cumin and tossed with orange segments, and the citrus goes great with cilantro, both of which pair beautifully with avocado. “Before you know it, you have this fresh, vibrant salad.”
Recipe of the week
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Carrot, avocado, and orange salad
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Maldon or another flaky sea salt
1½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 to 1½ tsp crumbled dried pequin chiles or red pepper flakes
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
30 or so similarly sized young carrots (not peeled, ½ inch of the green tops left on)
3 tennis-ball-size oranges
3 ripe Hass avocados, chilled
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
A handful of small, delicate cilantro sprigs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar until you have wet, smooth paste. Put paste in a large mixing bowl. Add cumin, coriander, chiles, and ¼ cup of olive oil; stir well. Add carrots and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with 3 pinches of salt, crushing grains with fingers as you add, and toss again.
Put carrots in a large shallow baking dish in one layer, making sure to scrape extra garlic, spices, and oil from the bowl. Pour ¼ cup water into an empty spot in dish and tilt so water spreads across bottom. Cover dish tightly with foil and roast 25 minutes. Remove foil and keep cooking until carrots are lightly browned and about as tender and creamy as avocado flesh, but not so soft that they may fall apart, about 35 minutes more.
While carrots are roasting, segment the oranges, removing the peel and cutting away membranes. Squeeze membranes over a small bowl to release juice. Set aside. When carrots are done, remove baking dish from oven and let it sit until carrots have cooled but are still warm. Meanwhile, take avocados from fridge, halve lengthwise, remove pits, and peel. Cut flesh lengthwise into slices about same size as carrots—slices should be sturdy enough that they don’t break when tossed.
Put avocado slices in a large mixing bowl. Add orange juice, lemon juice, remaining olive oil, and a healthy pinch or two of salt. Toss gently with your hands, then push avocado to one side. Add carrots to juices a handful at a time, tossing them in the juices before adding next handful and finally tossing avocados and carrots gently together.
On a platter or in a serving bow, stack carrots, avocado, and orange segments so they’re facing this way and that. Top with cilantro and bring to table right away. Serves 4.
