Recipe: Middle Eastern Roast Carrot Salad

In true spicy decadence, this delectable Middle Eastern roast carrot salad recipe boasts a  zesty yoghurt dressing using herby carrot tops. Serve this easy recipe as an impressive side dish at your next family dinner!

Ingredients:

• bunched carrots 600g, halved lengthways and larger ones cut into chunky pieces, tops reserved
• olive oil 3 tbsp
• garlic 3 cloves, skins left on, squashed
• ginger a thumb-sized piece, sliced
• cumin seeds 1 tsp
• black mustard seeds 1 tsp
• ground coriander 1 tsp
• ground cinnamon ½ tsp
• ground cloves ¼ tsp
• ground ginger ¼ tsp
• dried chilli flakes ½ tsp
• lemon 1, juiced
• dukkah to serve, (see notes below)

CARROT-TOP YOGURT

• greek yoghurt 150g
• carrot tops 50g, chopped, plus a few picked to serve
• dill ½ a small bunch, chopped
• lemon 1, juiced
• black peppercorns ground to make ¼ tsp

How to make your own dukkah
Dukkah is a Middle Eastern condiment made with herbs, spices and nuts. To make your own, toast 1 tbsp of coriander seeds with ½ tsp each of fennel seeds, black peppercorns, sesame seeds and cumin seeds, and crush, using a pestle and mortar, with 1 tsp sea salt and 2 tbsp of toasted hazelnuts.

Method
STEP 1

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Tip the carrots into a bowl, pour in the olive oil, garlic, ginger, spices, lemon juice and lots of seasoning. Toss well, tip into a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, tossing halfway, until charred and really soft.

STEP 2

Put all of the carrot-top yoghurt ingredients into a food processor or blender with 1-2 tbsp of water and whizz until smooth (leave in the processor).

STEP 3

Remove and discard the ginger pieces from the carrots and squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins into the yoghurt and blend. Scrape the carrots and any juices and crispy bits from the tray into a bowl, drizzle over some of the yoghurt and sprinkle with dukkah and the extra picked carrot tops to serve.

Taken from our favourite Food magazine: Olive Magazine