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Flatbreads with roasted carrots, spices and seeds
Serves 4 Starters and mains
For the flatbreads
- 250g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/2tsp salt
- 1/2tsp fast-acting dried yeast
- 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the roasted carrot topping
- 3tsp coriander seeds
- 3tsp cumin seeds
- 3 tsp fennel seeds
- 12 medium-large bunched carrots, halved lengthways
- 6 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 good pinches chilli flakes
- 2tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 2tbsp sunflower seeds
- 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- around 200ml vegetable stock
Method
Heat the oven to 180C/ 160C F/ Gas 4. First, make the flatbreads. Put the flour into a large bowl and add the salt and yeast. Add the oil and 150ml water and stir with a wooden spoon or mix with your hands to form a rough dough. Turn out the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead for around 5 minutes, until it feels smooth and plump. Place the dough back in a clean bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave it to rise just while you prepare the topping.
Place the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a small pan and set over a medium heat. Toast for 1-2 minutes, until they smell lovely and fragrant. Tip the seeds into a mortar and crush coarsely using the pestle.
Take your biggest roasting tin and add the carrots, garlic, crushed seeds, chilli flakes, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, olive oil, rosemary and plenty of salt and pepper. Turn the carrots through the spices and oil. Place the tray in the oven and roast for 45-60 minutes, stirring regularly, until the carrots are tender (big ones might take up to an hour).
While the carrots are roasting, cook the flatbreads. Knock back the dough and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Flour the work surface and your rolling pin, then roll out each ball into a round around 2-3mm thick. Use plenty of flour as the dough to liable to stick.
Set a large frying pan over a high heat. When it's very hot, shake off any excess flour from one of the flatbreads and carefully lay it in the hot pan. Let it sit for 1-2minutes, until the dough starts to bubble and puff in places. Look at the underside and if you can see dark brown patches forming, flip it over and cook the other side for a further minute or so. Wrap each cooked flatbread in a cloth while you cook the remainder.
When the carrots are ready, remove them from the oven. Remove the rosemary sprigs and place two-thirds of the carrots and seeds in a blender. Keep the rest warm. Turn on the blender and trickle in just enough vegetable stock to make a thick purée. Spoon the purée into a small pan. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Set the pan over a low heat to keep warm.
To serve, spoon some of the carrot purée over each flatbread. Top with a few carrots and some spicy seeds. Trickle with olive oil and serve at once.
This recipe was taken from the August/September 2020 issue of Food and Travel.
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