Maple Roast Carrots with Haydari & Lentils

Serves: 2 people

Takes: 30 mins to 1 hour

Haydari is a Turkish yogurt dip made with garlic and herbs. This recipe uses Greek yogurt instead of the traditional hung yogurt and I’ve added a little feta to make it richer and tangier.

---

Ingredients

For the Maple Roast Carrots:
250g carrots, I like baby carrots, scrubbed and cleaned
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup

For the Lentils:
50g green lentils/green moong, washed well
150ml vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick

For the Haydari:
150g thick greek yogurt
25g feta cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
small handful of dill or your favourite herb, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
good pinch of sea salt, to taste
crushed toasted nuts & pomegranate seeds to serve (optional)

Method

1. Firstly make the Maple Roast Carrots. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

2. Lay the carrots on a baking tray and toss in the olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Roast for 25 minutes until tender and starting to colour.

3. In the meantime, boil the Lentils. Place the ingredients in a pan and boil for 20 - 25 minutes until they have softened but are still holding their shape. Top up with stock or water during cooking if it starts to dry out.

4. Make the Haydari. Whip the yogurt, feta and oil together.

5. Add a pinch of salt to the garlic and crush with the back of a knife to make a paste. Add this to the yogurt with dill and a good squeeze of lemon. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if you like.

6. Once the carrots are tender, drizzle over the maple syrup and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

7. Strain off any excess moisture from the lentils, remove the spices and taste. Add a pinch of salt and little squeeze of lemon.

8. Serve the Maple Roast Carrots with Lentils and Haydari sprinkled with crushed nuts and pomegranate (if using).