Carrot Charcuterie

Background

This is a trial run using peeled carrots leftover from the Carrot Bug project. A small amount of salt was added to have them release a little bit of moisture before being vacuum-sealed and chilled in preparation for inoculation.

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Recipe

Ingredients

168g Peeled Carrots

1g Salt

Koji Spores

Equipment

Kitchen Scale

Vacuum Sealer

Instructions

1. Salting
   Add salt to the carrots and mix to coat.

2. Sealing
   Vacuum seal the salted carrots.

3. Chilling
   Store the sealed bag in the fridge overnight.

4. Inoculation
   After they’ve lost some moisture, proceed with inoculation using koji spores. Make sure the spores are evenly dusted on all sides.

Notes and Observations

• After being inoculated and left for 40 hours, an even, matte layer of mold had formed on the surface of the carrots.
• The taste still is strongly of carrot, but with a neutral ‘cheese’ funk, similar to a brie or camembert rind but without their characteristic flavor. It is umami and slightly floral, with some of the characteristic aromas of koji.
• The carrot charcuterie when cooked has the taste of a carrot which has been rendered in the fat of pork or chicken with quite a full-bodied roasted meat flavor in a way that’s quite distinct from it just after it was inoculated.
• Afterwards, I dried them at 95 degrees Fahrenheit in a dehydrator for 6 hours, after which the flavor became concentrated and the texture improved.