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Carrot keftedes with pomegranate skordalia and carrot salad

Name: Carrot keftedes with pomegranate skordalia and carrot salad
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Turkish recipes
Ingredients: 350g carrots; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 small onion, grated; 150g feta, crumbled; 50g fresh breadcrumbs; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 2 tsp dried mint; 50g parmesan, grated; 10g fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 large free-range egg, beaten; Plain flour to dust; Sunflower oil to fry; For the pomegranate skordalia; 200g stale bread (we used sourdough), crusts removed; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (available from Sainsbury’s or specialist shops); 4-5 tbsp light olive oil; For the carrot salad; 1 large carrot; Seeds from ½ pomegranate; 20g fresh flatleaf parsley; 25g skin-on almonds, roughly chopped; Handful of watercress or lamb’s lettuce; 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; Juice of ½ lemon

Published: 30 Nov 12
Updated: 18 Mar 24

These spiced carrot patties – served with a pomegranate and carrot salad – are a tasty vegetarian alternative for Christmas dinner.

Easy
December 2012

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Takes 45 min to make, 55 min to cook, plus resting, cooling and chilling

These spiced carrot patties – served with a pomegranate and carrot salad – are a tasty vegetarian alternative for Christmas dinner.

Vegetarian recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 741kcals
Fat: 48.9g (12.9g saturated)
Protein: 22.1g
Carbohydrates: 56.8g (18.2g sugars)
Fibre: 7.1g
Salt: 2.7g

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Ingredients

350g carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, grated
150g feta, crumbled
50g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp dried mint
50g parmesan, grated
10g fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
1 large free-range egg, beaten
Plain flour to dust
Sunflower oil to fry

For the pomegranate skordalia

200g stale bread (we used sourdough), crusts removed
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (available from Sainsbury’s or specialist shops)
4-5 tbsp light olive oil

For the carrot salad

1 large carrot
Seeds from ½ pomegranate
20g fresh flatleaf parsley
25g skin-on almonds, roughly chopped
Handful of watercress or lamb’s lettuce
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon

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Method

First, make the keftedes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Peel the carrots, then top and tail them. Drizzle with a little olive oil, put in a roasting tin and roast for 30-40 minutes until cooked but with a slight bite, turning halfway through. Leave to cool, then grate into a bowl and mix with the rest of the keftedes ingredients, apart from the egg, flour and sunflower oil. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper, then chill for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).
To make the skordalia, dunk the bread in cold water, then squeeze out the excess. Put in a food processor with the garlic, pomegranate molasses and a pinch of sea salt. Blend until smooth, slowly adding the olive oil while the motor is running. Chill until needed.
For the salad, slice the carrot lengthways into ribbons using a vegetable peeler, then toss with the rest of the ingredients and some seasoning.

To cook the keftedes, stir the egg through the chilled mixture, then mould into 12 rugby ball shapes (around 40g each). Gently heat a good layer of sunflower oil in a frying pan. When it begins to shimmer, add half the keftedes and fry for a few minutes, turning, until golden all over. Repeat with the remaining keftedes, then remove, drain on kitchen paper and serve with the skordalia and carrot salad. You can keep these warm in the oven for 30 minutes if you need to.

Recipe from December 2012 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 741kcals
Fat: 48.9g (12.9g saturated)
Protein: 22.1g
Carbohydrates: 56.8g (18.2g sugars)
Fibre: 7.1g
Salt: 2.7g

delicious. tips

Some pomegranate molasses are stronger than others, so make sure you taste the skordalia to check the balance of flavours – the taste should be a strong sharp-sweet mix. If it’s not potent enough, add a little more molasses to taste.
You can make the carrot patties the day before you want to serve them, then keep them chilled until needed.
Skordalia is a thick garlicky sauce from Greece, made by combining olive oil with a starch such as bread or puréed potatoes, or with nuts such as walnuts or almonds. It’s usually served with fried fish or vegetables and can also be used as a dip.