Award-Winning Chef Nancy Silverton Dishes On Upcoming All-Star Chef Classic

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An exciting four-day culinary experience is returning to Los Angeles this week.

Some of the biggest names in the kitchen are converging on L.A. Live, where the second-annual All-Star Chef Classic will showcase a variety of food as diverse as the line-up. The venue builds a custom "Restaurant Stadium" and "Chef's Tasting Arena" for the event.

The event lasts between March 11 and 15, and tickets are still available.

Chef Nancy Silverton, co-owner of Osteria Mozza and several other Southland restaurants, tells KCAL9 she's excited to come back and whip up dishes alongside her friends and other culinary veterans.

It's a celebration of food that's drawing chefs from as far as New York, France and the United Kingdom.

For more information visit Osteria Mozza and All-Star Chef Classic.

Silverton prepared a dish on the KCAL9 set that she plans on sharing at the All-Star Chef Classic and shared the recipe.

Roasted Carrots with Ceci and Cumin Vinaigrette

            Serves 6 to 8

For the Vinaigrette

• ¼ cup cumin seeds
• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated garlic (from 6 to 8 large garlic cloves, grated on a fine microplain)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the Carrots

• 2 pounds slender carrots (about 3 bunches, with the tops torn off)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 10 fresh thyme sprigs

For the Salad

• 1 cup Chickpeas alla Panicale (jarred or canned garbanzo beans, drained)
• half of a small red onion (halved root to tip)
• heaping ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh Italian parsley leaves, (from 1 heaping cup packed whole leaves)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

To make the vinaigrette, toast the cumin seeds in a small sauté pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the seeds are fragrant and golden brown, shaking the pan often so they don't burn. Transfer the seeds to a plate to cool to room temperature. Grind the cumin seeds in a spice grinder.

Combine the vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the ground cumin in a medium bowl. (Reserve the remaining ground cumin for the seasoning the carrots.) Add the oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly to emulsify.

To prepare the carrots, adjust the oven rack so none is near the oven floor; you'll be putting a baking sheet on the oven floor. If you are using an electric oven or another oven where you can't put anything on the floor, adjust the oven rack so that one is closest to the floor and put a pizza stone on it, if you have one. Preheat the oven to 500ºF.

Scrub the carrots and cut off the greens, leaving the last ¾-inch of the stems attached. Cut the carrots in half lengthwise (or quarter them if you're using larger carrots) and put them in a large bowl. Drizzle the carrots with the oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and massage to coat them with the oil, salt, and pepper.

Lay the carrots cut side down on a baking sheet. Toss the thyme sprigs in the bowl you tossed the carrots in to coat them with the oil left in the bowl. Scatter the thyme sprigs around the carrots and put the baking sheet on the floor of the oven or the lowest rack and roast the carrots to roast until they are fork tender but not mushy, 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the baking sheet and rotating it front to back halfway through the cooking time so the carrots brown evenly. Remove the carrots from the oven and set them aside to cool to room temperature. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and transfer the carrots to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, to prepare the salad, separate the layers of the onion, stack two or three layers on top of one another, and slice them lengthwise 1/16-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining onion layers. Place the onion slices in a small bowl of ice water and set them aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients for the salad or for at least 10 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and parsley to the bowl with the carrots. Drain the onions, pat them dry with paper towels, and add them to the bowl with the carrots and chickpeas. Drizzle the lemon juice and vinaigrette into the bowl with the carrots and chickpeas and toss gently to coat the carrots and chickpeas with the lemon and vinaigrette. Set aside for 15 minutes for the carrots and chickpeas to marinate.

Five to 10 minutes before serving, using your hands or a slotted spoon, lift the salad out of the bowl put it on a plate (not a serving platter). Leave the excess vinaigrette in the bowl and reserve the vinaigrette for another use. Let the salad sit on the plate for 5 minutes to let the excess vinaigrette drain out.

To serve, using your hands, lift the carrots and chickpeas off the plate on which it was draining and pile them attractively on a large rimmed platter. Serve with a big spoon.