Roast Carrot & Harissa Tart

I love making pastry and I am always thinking up new things I can turn into a tart or pie. One day I bought some beautiful carrots at the market and settled on a beautiful free-form tart. Carrots pair so wonderfully with the harissa, which you can increase or reduce, depending on your preference, and it is all complemented by a little herb salad and some labneh. Top the tart just before serving.

HARISSA

Harissa is a North African spicy chilli paste – it’s smoky and fragrant, with a deep, rich flavour.

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Instructions

1.	Preheat the oven to 185°C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2.	Cut the carrots in half lengthways, then into halves crossways.
3.	Place in a large bowl and add the olive oil, honey, fennel seeds and red wine vinegar.
4.	Season to taste with salt and mix well to coat the carrots.
5.	Tip the carrots, along with any liquid, onto the tray.
6.	Dot the carrots with the butter and roast for 35–40 minutes or until the carrots are cooked through and nicely caramelised.
7.	Spoon on the harissa and toss to coat. Set aside to cool.
8.	Meanwhile, for the flaky pastry, mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
9.	Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour to create flat pieces of butter coated by the flour.
10.	For a flaky dough, it is important not to overmix the butter.
11.	Drizzle in the vinegar and enough of the iced water to just bring the dough together (you might not need all of it). It will still be shaggy, but should hold together when pressed. If there are dry or floury spots, sprinkle in a little more water, a teaspoon at a time, until the dough just comes together.
12.	Flatten into a thick disc about 10-12 cm in diameter, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
13.	Line a 30cm round baking tray with baking paper.
14.	Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to make it easier to roll.
15.	Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to form a large disc, about 3mm thick, massaging the edge as you roll to prevent it from cracking too much.
16.	Drape the pastry over the tray. Arrange the carrot mixture on the pastry, leaving a 5cm border.
17.	Fold the pastry edge towards the centre of the tart, pinching as you go to seal in the filling and form a galette. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
18.	Increase the oven temperature to 190°C fan-forced.
19.	Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl, then brush the egg wash over the pastry.
20.	Bake the tart for 45–50 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and nicely golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
21.	While the tart is cooling, make the herb salad by combining the dill, parsley, walnuts and shallot in a small bowl.
22.	Drizzle on the olive oil and lemon juice and season to taste.
23.	Spoon the labneh over the tart filling, top with the herb salad and serve.
24.	HARISSA
25.	Cook the chillies and capsicums on a grill (or roast them in a hot oven) until blackened all over.
26.	Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Cover with a plate and allow to cool briefly.
27.	When cool enough to touch, remove the skin from the chillies, then cut away the stem and discard. Place in a food processor.
28.	Peel the skin from the capsicums and discard, along with the seeds and any membrane.
29.	Place the flesh in the food processor and add the garlic, cumin and coriander seeds, and Aleppo pepper. Blitz until coarsely chopped.
30.	Stream in the lemon juice and olive oil and continue to process until you have a fairly smooth paste.
31.	I like to leave my harissa with a little bit of texture, so towards the end I tend to pulse rather than blitz.)
32.	Season to taste and transfer to a jar. Harissa will keep in the fridge for up to a week.