Last week, we published Chef Jamie Simpson’s root vegetable sandwich, one that is chef inspired and ideal for home cooks—delicious, nutritious, versatile, and easy to prepare. If you haven’t yet checked out that root vegetable recipe, then we encourage you to do so. (We’ve also added the recipe to the bottom of this post for your convenience!) Now, here are two more of Chef Jamie’s creative vegetable recipes that are designed for home cooking. Smoked Carrot Dip This dip is exceptional versatile, with plenty of possible substitutions—just as long as you keep the ratios of the ingredients relatively intact to maintain a dip-able texture. If you don’t have carrots, for example, consider beets. No almonds? Try peanuts—or another kind of nut. If you don’t have chickpeas, you can use white beans. No garlic? Use onions, or even garlic powder. No lemons? Consider vinegar. No paprika? No problem. Just have fun with this! This dip can be made days ahead. In fact, it gets even better on day two. All you need to do is store this dip, refrigerated, in an airtight container. CARROT DIP INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup almonds, toasted 1 lb. carrots, tops removed (purple carrots removed) 2 Tbsp. plus ½ cup olive oil 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more 2 garlic cloves ½ cup canned chickpeas 1 lemon juiced ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper ¾ tsp. hot smoked Spanish paprika ½ cup coarsely chopped best of the day micro herbs 1 package mixed edible flowers CARROT DIP DIRECTIONS Preheat an oven to 350° and then split your carrots lengthwise. Toss them on a parchment-lined baking sheet with 2 Tbsp. oil and ½ tsp. salt. Spread the carrots out evenly on the baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until very tender (about 30 minutes). Transfer carrots to a food processor; add garlic, chickpeas, lemon juice, pepper, paprika, chopped herbs, ½ cup oil, 1 tsp. salt, and almonds. Process, adding more oil as needed, until the mixture is almost completely smooth. Taste the dip and add more lemon juice and/or salt if needed. Transfer the dip to a small bowl, drizzle with more oil, and top with flowers. This should make about 1 ½ cups. Ready for another vegetable recipe, one that serves four to six and uses ramen noodles? Read on! Ramen This Together “I just love,” Chef Jamie says, “when seasonal produce overlaps—say, from late winter to early spring—and cooking becomes more of a natural rhythm than a strict recipe. The goal in this recipe, then, is to show a few techniques that can make this dish happen annually, and seasonally, as nature intended.” To make this dish, you can order a Chef’s Garden home delivery box that provides you with the best of the day’s harvest. RAMEN THIS INGREDIENTS For the Broth 2 Tbsp. sesame oil 1 Tbsp. sunflower or vegetable oil ½ onion, sliced ½ celery root, diced 5 green garlic cloves, chopped with roots, tops reserved 1 king trumpet mushroom 1 gold beet, chopped ½ c. miso paste 1 c. Sake Nigori, unfiltered 1 ½ qt. filtered water In a large sauce pot, heat the sesame oil and the vegetable oil on medium heat. Add the onion, celery root, garlic, mushroom, and beets. Simmer while covered until soft; try not to brown the vegetables and stir occasionally. Uncover and evenly distribute the white miso. Add the sake and allow the mixture to cook and reduce until the strong aroma of alcohol has dissipated and the aroma of miso and celery root permeate. Quickly add the water. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes. For the Garnish ½ celery root, shaved on a mandoline 1 baby gold beet, shaved on a mandoline 1 baby winter radish, shaved on a mandoline 2 baby carrots, julienne on a mandoline 2 eggs 1 cup snow peas 5 tops of the green garlic 3 oz. baby kale or spinach. 2 king trumpet mushrooms 2 sheets of Nori ⅛ c. Nori Goma Furikake For the Noodles 10 oz. fresh ramen noodles Look for high quality brands like Sun Noodle. If these aren’t available, consider vermicelli or even instant noodles. Cook to manufacturer’s recommendations. If you’re into it, consider making them from scratch. Without a machine at home, though, this may be a bit ambitious. RAMEN THIS DIRECTIONS In a medium-sized mixing bowl, working in batches, season the raw shaved celery root with salt and evenly distribute across all surface areas. Set aside. Season the beets with salt and evenly distribute across all surface areas. Set aside. Season the radish with salt and evenly distribute across all surface areas. Set aside. Season the carrots with salt and evenly distribute across all surface areas. Set aside. With a medium blanch pot, bring a pot of water seasoned with soy sauce to a boil. Place eggs in the water, turn off the heat, and allow the eggs to rest for six minutes in the water. Remove the eggs and cool them down in cool water, and then peel and split. Return the hot water to the heat. Place the peas in the hot water for a few seconds to brighten them up but not soften. Place the garlic tops in the water to blanch. Now gently and quickly blanch the celery root. Place the kale in the water to blanch. Cut the trumpet mushrooms into ⅓-inch rounds and sear on one side in a hot pan. Cut each nori sheet into six rectangles and sear these in the same pan the mushrooms were in. Place each of these ingredients in an appropriate serving dish. Now it’s time to assemble and serve! Simply reheat the broth and distribute the noodles among however many bowls are being served. Transfer the condiments and garnish to the table with serving utensils. Build your bowl and ladle over it with very hot broth. This works well right at the table. Please share your creations on social media. Tag us at @CulinaryVegInst and Sun Noodle at @sunnoodle with #WeRamenThisTogether Root Vegetable Sandwich To make all extra convenient for you, we’ll also add the root vegetable sandwich recipe to this page. ROOT VEGETABLE SANDWICH INGREDIENTS 1 baby beet, ideally badger flame or bulls blood 1 baby carrot, ideally dragon or chantenay 1 baby radish; watermelon would be great 1 baby Jerusalem artichoke 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil ¼ c chopped greens (arugula, kale, spinach, mustard) 1 spoonful of Dukes mayo 1 small hamburger bun ROOT VEGETABLE SANDWICH DIRECTIONS Shave any variety of root vegetables really thin and season them with salt as if you were eating them raw. Wrap them and leave them out for a few hours or refrigerate them overnight. When ready, use a large cast iron pan with the olive oil smoking hot. Add the shaved root vegetables. Stir frequently with tongs, allowing a little bit of searing, and add the greens. When the root vegetables are technically cooked and not raw, remove them from the heat. Very thinly, spread a layer of mayo on the bun and sear it in the hot pan. When toasted, remove it from the heat and add the remainder of the mayo to the bun. Build the root vegetables and top with a bun. Serve whenever.