Moroccan Carrot Salad

Well, I am starting to think about Thanksgiving. It is officially that time of year where everything starts revolving around food. Ok, maybe that is all year for some of us. The thing is that I have only started thinking about it. Thanksgiving is a mere two weeks away and I don't have any recipes bookmarked and no cookbooks piling up. You see, I am not much for tradition. I like to make something different every year.  It all started a few years ago when I decided to make all Mexican dishes including Turkey Mole for Thanksgiving. It is probably one of the tastiest Thanksgiving meals I have ever eaten. This weekend I started to think about what I should do this year. We really like Indian food, so I was leaning towards a curry spiced turkey. Indian food is great for a lot of side items, so I thought that would work well. Then I remembered these carrots. I made this dish for a potluck at the very end of the summer. The great thing about it is that it tastes great at room temperature. A perfect Thanksgiving side dish when the oven and fridge is packed full. A Moroccan Thanksgiving sounds good to me. Do you have any non-traditional Thanksgiving practices? I'd love to hear about them.

Amazon.com

Moroccan Carrot Salad
adapted from Plenty

2 pounds carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 serrano chile, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon
Salt
2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped, plus extra to garnish
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, chilled

Place carrots in a large saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until tender but still crunchy, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and spread out on a dish cloth to dry.
Heat oil in a large pan and sauté the onion over medium heat until soft and slightly brown, about 12 minutes. Add the cooked, dry carrots to the onion, followed by the sugar, garlic, chile, onion, cloves, ground ginger, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, vinegar and preserved lemon.
Remove from the heat. Season liberally with salt, stir well and leave to cool to room temperature
Before serving,  stir in the cilantro, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve with a spoonful of yogurt, and a garnish of the extra cilantro.