The sun continues to shine with these carrots and oranges—and romanced by cinnamon. I converted a traditional North African recipe into a lacto-fermented version with beautiful results.  

Moroccan Carrots with Orange & Cinnamon

– 1 Qt.

INGREDIENTS:

---

carrots – 1 LB, grated

orange – 2 TBS zest, and juice reserved for addition after fermentation

cinnamon* – 1-1/2 tsp

water – 2 cups, filtered

salt – 1 TBS, unrefined

INSTRUCTIONS: This recipe is designed to use a jar fermentor, like the Perfect Pickler, but can be adapted to most any facto-fermentation kit

1. Grate carrots and add to a large mixing bowl; I prefer large grating holes on box grater
2. Carefully remove zest from an orange to avoid the bitter white pith beneath the skin
3. Add cinnamon and toss ingredients well
4. Pack mixture into a clean, 1 quart jar, tamping as you go until about 2 inches from jar lip
5. Dissolve salt in the water and add to jar until about a 1/2-inch from jar lip
6. Seal the jar and lacto-ferment for a total of four days at or below 75º
7. Remove about a quarter cup of brine and replace with the reserved orange juice. Wait a day and taste; adjust sweetness with honey or sweetener of choice to produce a sweet-tart balance

*I prefer to use Ceylon cinnamon bark [upper right], the real thing. It is a milder, sweeter tasting form and you can double the amount to 1 TBS. I usually taste the recipe after four days and decide to add extra cinnamon at that time.

Find Ceylon cinnamon at penzeys.com or google for other sources. Common cinnamon is actually “cassia” and has a sharper taste, so the amount is cut back in this version as most of you don’t have the Ceylon variety on hand.

Serve as a refreshing palate cleanser, as a sparkling condiment, or to rebalance a spicy meal.

– © Recipe by Bill Hettig 2013