Recently, my daughter and I visited Pittsburgh, and we really enjoyed a meal at an Argentinian restaurant, Balvanera. Interestingly, there was one dish on the menu that seemed more Mediterranean than Argentinian: roasted carrots on a bed of labneh. We enjoyed it so much, I made it my mission to find a recipe similar to it and prepare it as part of our Thanksgiving dinner. It was a success!
If you’re not familiar with labneh, it’s a soft cheese made by straining yogurt to remove the whey. It’s not always easy to find, but supermarkets like Whole Foods do carry it. You can also make your own by straining Greek yogurt through cheese cloth in a fridge overnight.
We used the already-peeled bagged organic carrots for this dish, but if you can’t find them, simply peel and slice your carrots to about a 2-inch diagonal length.
1 lb. organic carrots, peeled and sliced into 2-inch diagonal pieces
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Za’atar spice blend
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons roughly chopped pistachios
2–3 tablespoons maple syrup
Fleur de Sel or other finishing salt
Preheat the oven to 425.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or non-stick foil and place the carrots on the sheet.
In a bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, Za’atar, parsley, salt, pepper, and cumin. Mix well, and then pour it all over the carrots.
Toss the carrots and the other ingredients using your hands to get the seasoning all over every part of the carrots, until they’re evenly coated. (The carrots, not your hands!)
Roast the carrots for about 30 minutes. Look for them to start caramelizing around the edges. You don’t want them mushy…you still want some bite to them.
Spread the labneh onto a plate or platter, and then top with the roasted carrots. Sprinkle the pistachios on top, and drizzle with the maple syrup. A finishing touch of Fleur de Sel makes it perfect!
Live the Live ™ 