A vibrant and irresistible tart that transforms humble carrots into a show-stopping main course. The sweet, tender roasted carrots, packed with natural fibre, sit atop a creamy, tangy whipped feta base, all finished with a bright, homemade carrot-top pesto. This is comfort food elevated. CHECKED
for roasting carrots for pesto
or vegetarian hard cheese
plus whole leaves to serve
zested
beaten
with tops, for pesto
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Trim the carrot tops, setting the tops aside for the pesto and discarding any tough stems. Halve the carrots lengthways. Place a large baking tray in the oven to heat up.
Tip the halved carrots into a roasting tin. Drizzle with 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice until tender and golden. Stir in the za’atar and honey, then set aside.
While the carrots roast, roughly chop the garlic cloves, walnuts, and parsley. Tip the reserved carrot tops and 150ml of extra virgin olive oil into a food processor. Season with salt and black pepper and blitz until finely chopped.
Add the chopped garlic, walnuts, parmesan, and roughly chopped parsley to the food processor. Pulse until combined. Add a splash more extra virgin olive oil if the pesto is too thick. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste.
Clean out the food processor. Tip in the crumbled feta, Greek yogurt, and most of the lemon zest. Season with salt and black pepper and blitz until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Roll the puff pastry out on baking parchment into a rectangle (approx. 40 x 30cm). Gently score a 2cm border around the edge using a sharp knife. Brush the beaten egg all over the pastry, sprinkling a large pinch of sea salt around the border. Carefully slide the pastry onto the hot baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until golden and puffed up.
Remove the pastry from the oven and gently press the middle down using the back of a metal spoon. Cool the pastry for 10 minutes.
Spread the whipped feta mixture evenly over the middle of the tart. Arrange the roasted carrots on top. Drizzle over the carrot top pesto, scatter over the whole parsley leaves and the remaining lemon zest. Cut into slices to serve.
If you don't have carrot tops, you can substitute them with 50g of fresh basil or rocket for a traditional pesto flavour.
Ensure your puff pastry is very cold before rolling and baking; this helps achieve a maximum rise and a flaky, golden crust.
To create perfect lemon rind curls for garnish, use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of zest, then curl them tightly around a skewer or pencil.