Carrot Farinata
This cross between traditional stewed carrot tzimmes and Italian chickpea flour pancakes personifies the beautiful blending of cultures that’s at the heart of the Seder dinners hosted by Hillary Sterling at her restaurant, Vic’s, in New York City. Sterling, who herself is Jewish and grew up in Brooklyn, looks for menu inspiration in Italian-Jewish gastronomy. This year, she focused on Ferrara, a city in Emilia-Romagna with a rich Jewish history that dates back to the early Middle Ages. This is how tzimmes, an Ashkenazi Jewish dish of cooked carrots with prunes, became a farinata, a chickpea flour pancake typical of Ferrara, enriched with carrot juice, roasted carrots, prunes, and chile butter. Calabrian chile powder is available at well-stocked Italian grocery stores or online. Leftover wedges are tasty topped with tomato jam and crumbled goat cheese.
