Roasted carrots, carrot leaves chimichurri & marinated tofu

 

I made for Meatless Monday some roasted carrots with the pretty carrots bought at the souq last week. I served them with a chimichurri prepared with the carrot leaves (no waste!) instead of fresh parsley, and with slices of tofu marinated in the same chimichurri. It was lovely, so here is the recipe.

The quantities serve two, but there was enough chimichurri for serving and to marinate the tofu for 4 people. It’s ready in 60 minutes or so.

Ingredients

For the chimichurri

• 2 cups of carrot leaves, the thicker stem removed, and roughly chopped
• ¼ small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon of salt (I used Himalayan salt)
• 1 pinch of pepper

For the tofu

• 4-6 slices of firm or extra-firm tofu

For the roasted carrots

• 5-6 carrots (about 450 g)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

First, prepare the chimichurri: in the food processor, add the carrot leaves, onion and garlic, and process until finely chopped. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper, and blend for a few seconds. Reserve 2 tablespoons (for 2 people) of the chimichurri to serve, and transfer the remaining chimichurri to a food container with a lid.

In this food container, add the tofu slices, turn to cover them with chimichurri, and marinate covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, until the roasted carrots are ready.

While the tofu is marinating: preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Peel and cut the carrots into batons. Add the carrots into a plastic food bag with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Close the bag and shake it for a while for the carrots to be covered in oil. Spread the carrot batons on an oven tray, and bake until tender, about 20 minutes (toss the carrots at mid-cooking). Keep the carrots warm in the oven while preparing the tofu.

Time to cook the tofu: in a frying pan over high heat, cook the tofu slices with the marinade on both sides until slightly golden.

Serve the roasted carrots, with the tofu slices, and the fresh chimichurri.