Prep:
45 minutes
Cook:
30 minutes
Makes:
4-6 portions
Ingredients
- 1 bunch carrot, scrubbed clean, with leaves + 1 big carrot (about 600 grams in total)
- 3 tsp salt, divided
- 2 tsp spice mix: ½ tsp each of ground black pepper, cumin powder, sumac, smoked paprika (hot or sweet)
- 4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 cup chopped parsley (half of small bunch), thick stems removed, divided
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided
- 1 lemon, rind and juice (4 tbsp juice)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 small onion
- 1x 540 ml can chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Method
- Preheat oven to 220 C.
- Roasted carrots: Cut half of the carrot amount into ½ cm slices. Toss with one spoon of olive oil, ½ tsp salt ½ tsp spice mix. Arrange in one layer on oven tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through, until they start getting golden-brown spots and are fork tender.
- Carrot top pesto: Wash the carrot tops well and remove the woody stems. Blanch the tender stems and leaves in boiling water with ½ tsp salt for 2 minutes, until they softened. Cool quickly under cold water and squeeze lightly to remove excess liquid. Chop roughly and place in blender/food processor with 2 tbsp olive oil, ¼ cup walnuts, ½ cup parsley, garlic, 2 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp salt. Blend until a chunky paste forms. You might need to add more oil or 1 tsp water at a time if too thick. Taste for seasoning. You should get at least ½ cup of pesto. Place in mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Cut remaining carrots into the thinnest slices you can manage (use a peeler or mandoline slicer).
- Carrot chips: Toss half of carrot ribbons with 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp spice mix. In the same baking tray used to roast carrots, arrange ribbons in thin layer (no need to line them up, but try not to overlap as they won’t crisp up). Broil for 7-8 minutes, flipping with a wide spatula when they start curling up. Watch them carefully as they can burn easily. When you get most of them golden and crisp, turn off the oven and leave them in with the door ajar until ready to use.
- In a large salad bowl add roasted and fresh carrots, onion, chickpeas, walnuts, parsley and ½ tsp spice mix. Mix well and add lemon peel and ¼ cup pesto. Mix again, add feta. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, spices and lemon juice). Top with carrot chips. Serve at room temperature.
- The salad keeps up to 3 days in the fridge.
Tips
Use different color carrots if available.
You can freeze the remaining pesto in a glass jar topped with olive oil to preserve colour.
If you cannot find carrot bunches with leaves, you can use store bought pesto. Or just a simple vinaigrette with lemon juice and olive oil.
