Julia's Harissa Roasted Carrots With Labneh + Flatbread

I love transforming humble vegetables like carrots into a beautiful and satisfying meal.

In this recipe, they are roasted with olive oil and maple syrup then tossed with a little vinegar and plenty of herbs. They sit on a creamy and spicy bed of labneh and harissa and topped with toasted slivered almonds. I make my own harissa (you can find that recipe in my new cookbook, Good Cooking Everyday) but if you’re buying it, look for one that is more of a rough sauce than a smooth paste.

The flatbreads are incredibly moreish, especially eaten warm, and are rather simple to make. The key is working the dough in the mixer for enough time to develop the gluten. But the result is a chewy and fluffy flatbread which is the perfect vehicle for dipping and mopping up the carrots and labneh.

Harissa Roasted Carrots with Labneh and Flatbread

(Serves 4)

700 g carrots, cut into 1.5 cm rounds
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
Sea salt, to taste
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Large handful (each) of parsley, dill, mint and coriander, leaves torn
1 tbsp harissa
350g labneh
Toasted slivered almonds, to serve

Flatbreads

250g semolina flour
250g tipo 0 or plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp caster sugar
5g dry active yeast
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing and cooking

Method: 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, place all of the dough ingredients and 350ml of warm water. Mix on a low speed for 2-3 minutes, or until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for 12-14 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Drizzle the dough with a little olive oil, and use your hands to shape it into a rough ball, coating it in the olive oil. Cover and allow to rise in a warm space for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and divide it into four pieces. Use your hands to roll each piece into a ball, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside for 25-30 minutes to rise again.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C (200C conventional).

Arrange the carrots on a tray lined with baking paper. Pour over the olive oil, maple syrup and season with salt. Toss the carrots well to coat. Roast in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until tender and nicely golden. Drizzle over the vinegar and toss to coat the carrots. Set aside.

On a light dusted work bench or board, working with one ball at a time, roll out to a circle around 20cm in diameter. Repeat with the remaining dough.

To cook the flatbreads, warm a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add one flatbread and cook for around 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and puffy. Transfer to a clean tea towel and wrap to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining flatbreads.

Transfer the warm carrots to a bowl and toss with the herbs. Season to taste and set aside.

Spoon the labneh onto a serving plate and top with the harissa. Use a spoon to swirl the harissa into the labneh. Top with the carrots and scatter over some almonds. Serve with the warm flatbreads.