Chef Ivan Kamenev won the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Social Responsibility Award for the Euro Asia Region.
Photo: Courtesy of Chef Ivan Kamenev
Young Carrots with Leaf Pesto and Labneh Cheese
04 Dec 2020
Difficulty
Intermediate
Total Time
1H 0MIN
Ingredients
Baby carrots: 400- 500 g
Oil: 80 ml
Lemons: 1
Yogurt: 300 g
Pine nuts: 40 g
Salt
Black pepper
Carrot tops
Garlic: 1
Lemon juice: ⅓
Extra virgin olive oil: 70 g
Pine nuts: 30 g, Baked
Salt
Black pepper
This recipe uses freshly-picked carrots from the garden, but they can also be found at the market - they are sold throughout the summer-autumn season. Choose carrots with bright green tops to make the pesto tasty and bright in colour. In addition to useful properties, carrot tops have an extraordinary, slightly spicy flavour that combines perfectly with many other ingredients, so they can be used in the preparation of first and second courses, as well as salads, cutlets and salted pies. Carrot tops contain selenium, which is one of the most powerful antioxidants. Carrot greens contain 500 times more vitamins and micro-elements than the root vegetable itself. The high content of biologically active substances makes carrot tops a valuable ingredient.
01.
To make labneh curd cheese, add salt to the yogurt and place it on a sieve lined with gauze and refrigerate it overnight, or you can just use soft curd cheese for this recipe.
02.
First, process the carrots - cut the tops and soak the carrots in warm water. Sort the tops and select juicy and green carrot leaves. The carrot tops are too tough, so they need to be removed. The carrot leaves must be well washed from possible dust and earth residues. Then, wash the carrots using a clean dishwashing sponge. Cut the carrots in half, season with olive oil and salt, put on a baking sheet covered with parchment and bake in the oven at 160 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the carrots are soft.
03.
Along with the carrots, you can bake pine nuts - bake them at the same temperature for 5 minutes.
04.
In the meantime, prepare the tops for the pesto. You will need a pot of boiling water and a bowl of ice water. Add a pinch of baking soda to the boiling water to help maintain the green colour of the tops. Using a sieve, dip the tops in boiling water for 30 seconds, then place them in the ice water.
05.
Squeeze the excess moisture out of the tops and start making pesto. In a mortar, combine the garlic clove, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add half the olive oil and mash thoroughly. Then add the chopped greens and the remaining oil. Mash to a pulp, if necessary.
06.
When the carrots are ready, you can start serving.
Place the cheese and funnel in the centre of the plate, top with the carrots, a tablespoon of pesto and sprinkle with baked pine nuts.
Enjoy your meal.
07.
The final dish.
