Carrot and Cumin Salad with Cilantro

This dish is inspired by one of our friends, Lisa,  based on a recipe from a popular British restaurant. It has worked its way into heavy rotation as its both savory and sweet, with a layer of spice not usually found in a simple vegetable side dish. The cumin beefs up the flavor, and we never have any left at the end of a meal. Sometimes we serve it sliced on angles into bite sized pieces, and sometimes we leave the carrots long, just sliced in half for variety. 

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​Carrot and Cumin Salad with Cilantro
 
3 cups rainbow carrots
2/3 tsp. cumin seeds (if you don’t have a small spice grinder, you can use ground cumin, just omit the roasting portion of recipe.)
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 tsp. sugar
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
½ tsp Sea salt
 
Peel carrots and boil whole in salted water until just tender.  Remove and shock in ice water, then let dry.  Roast cumin seeds in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant and color darkens, 2 minutes.  Grind cumin in mortar and pestle or in small spice grinder and add garlic and 1/2 tsp. salt. Pound.  Mix in lemon juice, sugar, and olive oil with garlic.  Toss carrots in cumin dressing and sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve at room temperature.