Have you ever woken up in the morning and the first thought is what you plan to make for dinner? I need to have the inspiration to cook and maybe even dream about it. The days I do not have inspiration, I putter around the kitchen looking at ingredients, waiting for the ingredients to talk to you. You must be thinking that I am going senile. This recipe has been in my mind for sometime.

Anyway, this recipe started with a straightforward recipe on NYT cooking, the picture looked enticing and I thought it was an easy enough recipe to make on a weeknight. I bought the multicolored carrots a week ago so I had that in the fridge. As I started preparing the dish, I realized it called for ricotta cheese which I cannot eat. So I decided to make pesto instead. I cut some basil from my garden and had it ready to make the pesto. I use store bought puff pastry sheets (I found a brand which used olive oil and no lard). I sliced the carrots and tossed it with olive oil, salt and pepper as the recipe said. I decided I need more spice and threw in some chilli powder. I then felt like adding cumin as I always feel cumin adds an earthiness and warmth to the carrots. At this point I felt that a regular pesto may not go well with the spiced carrots. I decided to make a cilantro pesto. I threw in some basil (as I had it) and used roasted cashew nuts instead of pine nuts. Believe me it was good. Everything just went really well together. Do try and let me know how it turns out.

Ingredients

• 1 frozen puff pastry, thawed (14-15 oz)
• 1 pound/ 1/2 kg multicolored carrots, peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick (each carrot into 4 pieces approximately)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to tase
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder (or flakes)
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• chopped herbs for garnish (cilantro or basil or chives)
• 2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese (optional)- leave out for a vegan option

iNGREDIENTS FOR cILANTRO pESTO

• 1/2 bunch cilantro (about 1 cup), washed and drained
• 1/4 cup basil (optional), washed and drained
• 1 green chilli pepper (serrano or jalapeno)
• 1/4 cup roasted cashew nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

• Heat oven to 425F (220 C)
• Toss carrots in oil, salt, pepper, red chilli powder and cumin. Place on baking sheet
• Roll out puff pastry dough to about 10 by 14 inch rectangle. Prick pastry leaving a border on the side
• Bake puff pastry till lightly golden brown for about 20 minutes
• Roast carrots in a single layer on the bottom rack while puff pastry is baking for 15-20 minutes till carrots are crisp tender
• While carrots and puff pastry are in the oven, blend ingredients for pesto in a food process till smooth
• Spread pesto on the puff pastry. Sprinkle goat cheese if using
• Arrange carrots in a single layer on top of the puff pastry
• Bake until carrots are tender for about 10 minutes
• Sprinkle with herbs and drizzle olive oil
• Serve as an appetizer (cut into bite size pieces) or as a main course with a salad on the side.