Salt-baked root vegetables with labneh
- Portion size: Serves 6
- Hands-on time 45 min, Oven time 1 hour, plus at least 1½ hours draining
- Difficulty: medium
Cooking with salt in this way ensures that the vegetables are cooked evenly and gently, and will yield a beautifully soft texture once cooked. The labneh is topped with a za’atar pesto for a kick of fresh flavour – perfect for dipping!
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Ingredients
- 550g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust
- 175g fine sea salt, plus ½ tsp
- 3 free-range egg whites
- 1kg-1.2kg unpeeled assorted root vegetables (we used a mix of heritage carrots, beetroot and swede quarters)
- Flatbreads to serve
For the labneh:
- 500g thick full-fat greek yogurt (we used Total)
- 1 tsp lemon juice for the za’atar pesto
- 50g shelled pistachios
- Small pack fresh coriander
- A few fresh mint sprigs, leaves picked
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp za’atar spice blend
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Method
- First make the labneh: mix the greek yogurt with the lemon juice and ½ tsp sea salt, then spoon into a sieve lined with muslin (or a clean J-cloth) set over a bowl. Fold the muslin/cloth over the top of the yogurt to cover and set aside to drain for at least 1½ hours. When ready to serve, squeeze out as much liquid from the thickened yogurt as possible.
- Mix the flour and 175g salt in a large bowl. Add the egg whites and 200ml cold water and quickly mix to form a dough (if it’s too stiff, add a little extra water). Knead in the bowl for a minute or so, form a smooth ball, then flatten into a disc. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1cm. Put each vegetable on the dough and cut out shapes about 2½ times the size of each vegetable. Using your hands, wrap the dough around each vegetable and press the edges together to seal. Use a little water on the end of your finger as glue if necessary.
- Put the dough-wrapped veg on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 1 hour until the dough is hard and the veg inside are tender (test with a skewer).
- Meanwhile, make the za’atar pesto. Finely chop the pistachios, coriander and mint, then put in a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, olive oil and za’atar, then season to taste.
- Once the veg are cooked, slice open the salt crust and discard the tops. Serve the veg in the crust (don’t eat) on a board with the flatbreads and labneh, topped with the za’atar pesto.
Nutrition
- 340kcals Calories
- 25.4g (8g saturated) Fat
- 8.6g Protein
- 16.3g (12.9g sugars) Carbs
- 5.5g Fibre
- 1.1g Salt
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