Cenoura à Algarvia

Carrots and marinade

• 500 g carrots, peeled, sliced into 5 mm rounds
• 3 garlic, sliced
• 30 ml white wine vinegar
• 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano (or chopped fresh coriander)
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• 0.5 tsp sweet paprika
• 0 a pinch cumin
• 0 to taste salt and piri-piri

Boil and dress warm

1. 1

   Peel 500 g carrots and slice into 5 mm rounds. Boil in salted water 6–8 min to just al dente — they must keep a clear bite, because they soften further in the marinade. Drain.

   8m

   Boil only to al dente; mushy couvert carrots are a sad thing.

2. 2

   Dress them WHILE STILL WARM: toss with 3 sliced garlic cloves, 30 ml white wine vinegar, 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 crumbled bay leaf, ½ tsp sweet paprika and a pinch of cumin. Season with salt and as much piri-piri as you like.

   4m

   Warm Marination / Quick Pickle (Cenoura à Algarvia)

   Tip: Heat opens the carrots' structure so the aromatics drive in; dress them cold and the flavour stays skin-deep.

Rest

1. 3

   Leave them alone — at least 2 hours, ideally overnight in the fridge. Time is the active ingredient: the raw garlic loses its edge, the vinegar rounds into brightness, and the oregano and bay infuse the oil. Serve cool or at room temperature with good bread to mop the spiced oil.

   2h