Smoked Carrots Cooked In Whey with Labneh and Carrot Top Dukkah

Smoked Carrots with Labneh and Carrot Top Dukkah

Bonus Material - recipes from rejects

Here at Ozone, we’re always looking to make veg the hero - and this recipe is a hands-down winner! Throw in the fact that it includes a handful of super common by-products and you’ve got something that will easily take centre stage at any BBQ/ deck warming party.

Labneh and Whey: Make a day or two before!

500g Greek yoghurt

1. Rinse out a new, re-usable wash cloth (or even better, biodegradable!) and line a fine sieve. Place the sieve inside a bowl and pour the yoghurt in, cover and leave in the fridge overnight so the whey can slowly drain out.

2. The following day, remove the strained labneh into a bowl and reserve the whey. Add a pinch of sea salt to the labneh and mix until smooth and keep in the fridge until ready.

Carrot top dukkah:

1 tsp (each) Cumin seed, fennel seed and caraway seed

50g Sunflower seeds

50g Pumpkin seeds

50g White sesame seeds

 1. Pop the oven on as low as it goes, place the washed carrot tops in an even layer on a tray in the oven and leave until completely dry. Do the same with the sourdough/ rye trim.

2. Toast fennel and coriander until fragrant, cool and add to the food processor along with the dried bread trim, dried carrot tops, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Pulse to a coarse crumb and then mix in the sesame seeds.

3. Season with a pinch of flaky sea salt and store in a clean, dry, air-tight container at room temperature.

Smoked carrots cooked in whey 

1 Bunch leafy carrots, reserved from dukkah recipe

Whey, reserved from labneh

2 Tbsp of smoking chips (available at most supermarkets)

 

1. Scrub the carrots clean with a coconut tawashi from Lucky Hedgehog*

2. Place in a saucepan that snugly fits the carrots, add the reserved whey and bring to a simmer. Cook gently, turning every 2-3 minutes if not fully submerged, until just tender when pierced with a skewer/ knife.

3. Strain the carrots and keep the whey!

4. Grab an oven tray with a rack that fits inside. Place a small rectangle of foil in the centre of the base of the tray and put the smoking chips on the foil. Light the chips with a match and wait for a small flame to take hold. Smother the flame with a pot lid briefly to kill the fire then place the rack in the tray topped with the carrots.

5. Cover with foil and leave covered until ready to serve.

*Coconut Tawashi’s available online from www.luckyhedgehog.co.uk

Reserved whey dressing

Reserved whey from cooking carrots

Lemon juice

Olive oil

1. Put 1 part whey, 1 part lemon juice and 3 parts olive oil in a bowl and whisk together until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembly – the easy bit!

1. Put a large frypan on a medium heat and add 1 Tbsp butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Once the butter is foaming, add the smoked carrots and cook until golden brown, 2-3 minutes.

2. Drain the carrots on a bit of kitchen paper put in a mixing bowl, dress with 1-2 Tbsp reserved whey dressing.

3. Grab a plate and put two spoons labneh to one side of the plate. Spread the labneh with the back of the spoon and pile the carrots in the middle drizzling over any dressing from the bowl.

4. Top with a handful of carrot-top dukkah and dig in!