Just a couple of photographs today.

Roasted carrots, with miso-mustard vinaigrette

Peel carrots, then cut into wedges or slice on a bias. Season with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Alternately, you can substitute other spices instead of salt and pepper. In the photo above, I used panch phoron, a whole spice mixture that consists of fenugreek seed, nigella seed, cumin seed, black mustard seed and fennel seed in equal parts. Roast at 400 F for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender. Remove from heat and let cool. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon brown miso, 2 tablespoons mirin and 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar. Mix all ingredients together; stir until the miso is dissolved and the sauce achieves a smooth consistency, about 5 minutes. Stir in some minced parsley into the carrots and toss. Spoon carrots onto a serving plate; dress with the miso-mustard vinaigrette. Serve at once.

Cipolotto con pangrattato — Baked onions with herbed breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Peel cippolini onions; trim off the root end and the stem end. Slice lengthwise and place the onion halves in a Pyrex baking dish, cut side up.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, a pinch of sea salt and 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Stir until the breadcrumb mixture forms a paste. Top each onion half with a teaspoon or so of the breadcrumb mixture, then drizzle about 2-3 more tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over the onions. Wrap the baking dish with some aluminum foil and bake, covered, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 15-20 minutes or until the onions are caramelized. Remove from heat, then sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve at once.

This, paired with a glass of white wine or rosé wine, makes an elegant appetizer.