Sautéed Carrots with Dried Fruits

Here’s a tasty way to highlight carrots in a lightly cooked side dish. Their natural sweetness is enhanced with chopped dried fruit and balanced with a bit of lemon. It's a nice everyday side dish and a welcome addition to fall and winter holiday meals. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.

Serves: 6

• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, quartered and sliced
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into coins or on the diagonal
• ⅔ cup dried fruit (sliced apricots, mission figs, or dates; raisins,
  cranberries, cherries, or a combination)
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• Juice of ½ to 1 lemon, to taste
• ¼ cup minced fresh parley
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Toasted waltnuts or slivered almonds for topping, optional

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent.

Add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except the optional almonds, and sauté for just until the carrots are tender-crisp. Add drops of water if the skillet gets dry as the carrots cook.

Transfer to a serving container or serve straight from the skillet, scattering toasted almonds over the top if desired.

• Here are more recipes for making the most of carrots.
• Return to Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) recipes and menus.