This creamy, sweet and earthy salad is pure perfection simply dipped with crusty bread, flatbreads or lightly warmed pita breads. Drizzled with olive oil and a smattering of pomegranate molasses it becomes a wonderful centrepiece to any meze table.
Trim the tops and wrap all the carrots and the garlic cloves (in its skin) in foil then bake for 30-40 minutes until soft. Remove and cool.
Squeeze out the garlic from its skin into a bowl. Cut the carrots into chunks and add to the bowl. Add the yoghurt, vinegar, ground cumin and olive oil and season well with salt & pepper
Using a stick blender or food processor, blend into a smooth puree. And you're done! Spoon into a bowl and garnish with the herbs, seeds and red onion.
Notes
I mix and match my garnishes and extras all the time for this salad. Here are a few of my favourite suggestions.
Herbs - Use parsley, oregano, tarragon or thyme as an alternative
Vegetables - My favourite is some finely chopped celery and radish or some halved cherry tomatoes.
Nuts - I'll often use toasted nuts instead of seeds, like pistachio, walnuts, pecans, almonds or chopped hazelnuts.
Spices - This salad pairs splendidly with a scattering of za'atar, sumac or Aleppo pepper (pul biber)
Drizzle - I'll always add a final glug of extra-virgin olive oil to the top of my salad, but you might also consider a thin drizzle of date or pomegranate molasses for sourness, or a few dollops of yoghurt to the top, just before serving.