Name: Berbere-Spiced Roasted Carrots, Chickpeas and Onions
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H15M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT0H30M0.000S
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: african
Ingredients: 1 pound medium carrots, peeled, ends trimmed (about 4); 1 large red onion, trimmed and cut into 1-inch dice; One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons Berbere, recipe follows; Kosher salt; 5 tablespoons Berbere, recipe follows; 1/4 cup red wine; 2 tablespoons honey; Kosher salt; 1/4 cup New Mexico chile powder; 2 tablespoons sweet paprika; 1 teaspoon ground cayenne; 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom; 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder; 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion; 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

For the carrots and onions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack. To cut the carrots, hold a carrot at a 45-degree angle on your cutting board and slice a 1-inch chunk off, rotate the carrot a quarter turn and slice off another chunk. Continue to the end of the carrot and cut all of the carrots this way. (This is a "roll" or "oblique cut," a good technique for cutting long vegetables to give lots of surface area for browning.) Toss the carrots in a large bowl with the onion, chickpeas, olive oil, berbere and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread on the preheated baking sheet and roast until the vegetables are tender and nicely caramelized, about 25 minutes.
For the awaze sauce: While the carrots and onions roast, place the berbere in a small bowl. Stir in the red wine, honey and 1 teaspoon salt. The sauce should be thick but still able to drizzle. (This makes more awaze than you'll need for the recipe, but it keeps for up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container).
Mound the carrots and onions on a serving platter and drizzle with a few tablespoons of awaze sauce. Serve warm.

Berbere:

Combine all the spices in a small skillet. Toast over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely. This spice blend will keep, tightly sealed, in your pantry for several months. For longer storage, keep in the freezer. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Cook’s Note

Berbere is the primary spice mix from Ethiopia and Eritrea. Every region and family makes their own version, but they're all a great balance of warmth and spice. This version, made with toasted ground spices rather than whole, comes together very quickly and will keep in your pantry for several months. Use it as a spice rub or a base for soups and stews. Awaze is a versatile sauce hailing from Ethiopia, where it's used on just about everything. You can use it as a finishing sauce, as I do here, or brush it on a protein (fish, poultry, tofu or tempeh) before grilling, sauteing or roasting. In Ethiopia, local honey wine is used to make this sauce, but here we use a combo of red wine and honey to replicate its sweet but tannic flavor. This dish is perfect and simple as is, but feel free to scatter some fresh herbs (especially cilantro) or toasted nuts, such as almonds, over top.