Young Carrots with Leaf Pesto and Labneh Cheese

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.

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.

Along with the carrots, you can bake pine nuts - bake them at the same temperature for 5 minutes.

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.

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.

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.

The final dish.