Ana Sortun, a chef who has a wonderful restaurant in Cambridge called Oleana, presented a delicious carrot “shawarma” at the recent Worlds of Healthy Flavors conference at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, Calif. Her husband is a farmer, and at this time of year she is always looking for ideas for using the carrots he grows. These wraps are inspired by Ana’s, but have a slightly less complex sauce than hers. (It is also more Georgian than Turkish.)
1 ounce dried apricots (5 or 6)
1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), peeled, cut in half, green shoots removed
2 ounces chopped walnuts (about 1/3 cup)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vinegar (wine, sherry, or cider)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or mild chili powder, to taste
2 pounds carrots, peeled, cut into 4-inch lengths and cut in half lengthwise if fat
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 large sheets of lavash, preferably whole wheat
Optional, for serving: 1/2 cup drained or thick Greek style yogurt, mixed if desired with puréed garlic, 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1. Place the dried apricots in a bowl or Pyrex measuring cup and cover with 1/2 cup boiling water. Let steep for 5 to 10 minutes, until soft. Retain the soaking water, remove the apricots, pat dry with paper towels and cut into small dice.
2. In a mini-processor or by hand finely chop the garlic and walnuts. Add the cilantro and chop together or process to a paste. Add the apricots and continue to process to a paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, the vinegar, salt, and Aleppo pepper and process to a paste. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the soaking water from the apricots. The paste should be easy to spread on the lavash.
3. Steam or blanch the carrots until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Cut into sticks that are about 4 inches long and 1/3 inch wide. Toss in a bowl with the lemon juice, remaining olive oil, dill or mint, and salt and pepper.
4. Open up a piece of lavash and square it off by cutting away the rounded ends. You should have a piece that is 10 or 11 inches wide. Divide the walnut spread and the carrots into three equal portions. Spread a third of the walnut spread over a lavash. Arrange one batch of carrots on the lavash from one end to the other, about two inches in from the bottom. Fold the bottom edge over the carrots and roll up tightly. Cut the roll in half at the middle and trim the ends so that the carrots are showing at both open ends.
5. Heat a dry skillet or griddle and heat the carrot roll for a few minutes on one side, until it begins to brown. Turn over and heat on the other side, then serve, accompanying each roll with seasoned or plain yogurt if desired.
Yield: 6 servings
Advance preparation: You can make these a few hours ahead and wrap them tightly in plastic. Heat before serving.
Nutritional information per serving: 376 calories; 21 grams fat; 3 gram saturated fat; 7 gram polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 43 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 288 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 7 grams protein
Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”
