Smoked Carrots with Thyme & Paprika Recipe

Ingredients

½ mug white or brown rice
A fist full of fresh thyme
1 lemon
4 tbsp water
500g carrots
A gloss of olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
½ tsp sweet paprika
A pinch of chilli powder

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Method

1. Preheat your oven to 220C/Gas 7. Place a roasting tray in the oven, top shelf, to heat up.

2. Line a large lidded pot or frying pan with two large sheets of foil, allowing the edges of the foil to hang over the edges of the pan.

3. Tip the rice into the foil-lined pan. Nestle half of your thyme into the rice. Use a veg peeler to carve the zest from your lemon. Add it. Stir the water in.

4. Scrub your carrots clean. Trim off the tops, if they’re donning leafy greens. If they’re really chunky carrots, halve them lengthwise. Pile your carrots on top of the rice. Pop the lid on the pan. Bring the sides of the foil up and over the lid, helping to keep it tightly shut.

5. Put the pot over high heat. As soon as you see smoke escaping from the sides of the pan, set your timer for 8 minutes.

6. Smoke the carrots till the timer goes off. Remove from the pan. Toss with a little olive oil, a little salt, pepper and the juice from your lemon. Tumble into the heated roasting tray.

7. Roast the carrots for 30 mins till they’re nicely tender. Dust with the paprika and scatter the leaves from the remaining thyme over. Mix through. Taste. Tweak seasoning as needed.

8. Delicious as a Sunday roast side, or make it the star of a vegetarian meal – piling the smoked carrots on a bed of creamy, garlicky cannellini beans.