Promises Kept

As I sat here having a snack, a little bowlful of Sevillian Marinated Carrots, I realized that I had promised to post the recipe adapted from Anya von Bremzen's The New Spanish Table. Here it is:

* 1 pound carrots, peeled, cooked until crisp-tender (The author boils 'em; I steam 'em.)
* 3 - 4 cloves chopped garlic (or to taste--I use 4 or more)
* 1-1/2 - 2 tsp cumin seeds
* 2 tsp dried oregano
* pinch red pepper flakes
* 1 TB fresh parsley, chopped; more for garnish if desired (There have been times I didn't have any fresh parsley and left it out. I don't think the dish suffered at all.)
* 1 tsp coarse salt (I use sea salt; kosher works too.)
* 1/2 cup (I usually use less, about 1 cup) + 1 tsp olive oil
* 1/2 cup lemon juice (Use fresh if you've got it; bottled is just fine.)
* 1-1/2 TB red wine vinegar (Start with 1 TB or less and add more to taste.)

Slice carrots into 1/4" slices. Mash garlic, cumin seeds, oregano, red pepper, salt, and 1 TB olive oil into a paste. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, and vinegar with the paste. Toss the carrots with the mixture. Refrigerate at least several hours, overnight if you can. (The longer these sit, the better they are. Serve at room temperature.) Makes a lot, but not enough. Double the recipe if you want to eat carrots all week.