The carrot you wouldn’t expect: at ‘Coltivare,’ it is grilled over embers, fermented, and even served with its own jus. The result? The vegetable becomes a dish of great elegance, balancing the smokiness of the flame with the intensity of the preparation. We asked chef Luca Zecchin how to recreate the recipe.

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FOR THE SESAME CRUMBLE

1,200 g buckwheat flour
650 g cold butter
45 g muscovado sugar
12 g unsweetened cocoa powder
6 g Lapsang Souchong black tea
15 g toasted black sesame seeds
4 g dried thyme
8 g fine salt

Method:
Toast the sesame seeds in a pan, then let them cool.

In a stand mixer, combine the buckwheat flour, cocoa, black tea, muscovado sugar, sesame seeds, thyme, and salt.

Add the cold butter cut into cubes and use the paddle attachment at low speed to incorporate until you obtain irregular crumbs.

Spread the mixture on a Silpat and bake in a static oven at 170–175°C (338–347°F) for 18–22 minutes, until it takes on a grayish color.

Once cooled, crumble to achieve the texture of moist, sandy soil.

FOR THE BBQ CARROT

1 kg carrots, cut into mirepoix
100 g vinegar
100 g muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 L water

Method:
Sauté the carrots in plenty of oil. Add the baking powder and let them stick slightly to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with the sweet-and-sour mixture made by boiling the sugar and vinegar, then cover with water.

Cook slowly until the carrots are tender and the liquid has evaporated.

Blend with oil and xanthan gum, and adjust seasoning with salt and sweet-and-sour mixture if needed.

luca zecchini ricetta carota coltivare 4

FOR THE CARROT STOCK

1 L carrot juice
100 g lemon juice
200 g butter
Garlic, thyme, lemon peel, rosemary, to taste

Method:
Reduce the juices by half, then add the butter and emulsify. Infuse with the herbs and garlic.

Strain and store.

FOR THE VEGETABLE STOCK WITH VAL DI MAGGIA PEPPER

Infuse the vegetable stock with two tablespoons of pepper and reduce to one-third of its original volume. Thicken and bind with miso and soy sauce.

FOR THE CARROT COOKED IN FIG LEAF

Method:
Wash the carrots thoroughly, leaving the skin on.

Line a baking tray with fig leaves and arrange the washed carrots on top in an orderly manner, without overlapping. Season with extra virgin olive oil and salt. Cover with another layer of fig leaves, seal the tray with aluminum foil, and bake in a dry oven at 180°C (356°F) for about an hour, depending on the size of the carrots (they should remain tender).

Once baked, roast the carrots over embers, let them cool, and vacuum-pasteurize at 100°C (212°F) for 10 minutes.

luca zecchini ricetta carota coltivare 5

FOR THE FERMENTED CARROT

Colored carrots
Lemon/orange zest
Cardamom
Thyme, lemon
Ginger or lemongrass
Salt

Method:
Weigh the cleaned carrots in a glass jar together with the aromatics. Cover with water and add salt equal to 2% of the total weight. Shake well, cover, and let ferment.