Carrot and parsnips salad with labneh

February 2, 2011  •  Category:

 

I saw a carrot salad on the blog délices de Turquie and knew I had to try it at once! The salad was simply shredded carrots dressed with a garlicky drained yogurt (our labneh) and a drizzle  of olive oil and sumac on top.


I added some parsnip for a coleslaw effect and made some labneh that afternoon while we were stuck indoors due to a snow storm.

The labneh (or yogurt cheese if you prefer)transforms the humble carrot and parsnips into a creamy, garlicky mass of mellow vegetable goodness. Frankly, I did not expect it to taste that good.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Carrots, preferably organic (about 1/2 pound)
  • Parsnips (1/2 pound)
  • 2 cups of yogurt cheese or labneh (or make your own with 3 cups of yogurt, drained over a paper towel and a sieve for 4 hours)
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • sumac, to taste
  • 3 cloves of garlic, mashed in a mortar with a dash of salt

METHOD:

  1. Peel and shred the carrots and parsnips. Heat a skillet (big enough to accomodate them and equipped with a lid) and when hot add about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Place the shredded carrots and parsnips in the skillet, add about 1/3 cup of water, a dash of salt and cover the skillet.
  2. Cook and steam the vegetables for about 15 to 20 minutes on low heat. Uncover and stir from time to time. Let the water from the vegetables evaporate but do not let the vegetables burn or change color.
  3. Place the vegetables in a bowl. Add the labneh previously mixed with the mashed garlic. Mix well. Present on a plate small mounds of the mixture with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sumac or paprika.

NOTE: For a detailed recipe on how to make labneh, click here.

 

Comments

39 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Rosa says:

    Just wonderful! Parsnip is a great addition.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. sensiblecooking says:

    ok Joumana you convinced me to make this salad. I saw your pic and now I have to make it. What a great twist for coleslaw. Perfect for super bowl too.

  3. RECETTES GOURMANDES says:

    tres bonne recette joumana, je voudrais là réaliser mais je voudrais savoir pour le yogourt, est ce que c’est le fromage frais ou autres.merci de me repondre.

    • Joumana says:

      @Radia: Orientcuisine: le labneh c’est du yaourt (type bulgare) que l’on met dans un sac ou une toile ou un sopalin et que l’on fait egouter durant quelques heures. Ce n’est pas le fromage frais. La recette est indiquée avec un lien dans le billet.

  4. Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:

    Great salad, I love parsnips and the picture is so beautiful. Looks like a great combination.

  5. SYLVIA says:

    This is a sophisticated colorful healthy salad that packs a hefty dose of vitamins. It’s elegant, impressive, cool and refreshing. One of the best ways too eat carrots is raw in salads [their GI levels treble when cooked] Parsnips are high in foliate, especially fiber, in addition they have polyacetylenes, plant compounds that help protect against carcinogens.

  6. Priya says:

    Salad looks extremely colourful and creamy..

  7. Chiara says:

    In Italia parsnips are called “pastinaca”…It’s a great idea,thanks for sharing, kisses…

  8. peter says:

    When I saw the photo, I knew it had to be Turkish! I’ve made this salad and the sweet carrot and tart yogurt play well against each other!

  9. Adele says:

    We have a lot of raw carrots in the fridge, as it turned out to be one of my little girl’s favourite (for now). It looks great, thanks Joumama.

  10. Kathy says:

    Joumana, I so enjoy your blog and your wonderful Mediterranean food. You have the best ethnic blog I have visited, so for that reason, I am awarding you The Stylish Blogger Award via my blog.

  11. Namitha says:

    How could I resist such a pretty salad…Fantastic 🙂

  12. Adelina says:

    You’ve been on a roll this week! I am loving each every one of your posts!

  13. meriem says:

    I like it!! I’ll do it! Thanks Joumana and have a nice evening.

  14. Susan says:

    What a beautiful, colorful salad! What a great idea.

  15. T.W Barritt says:

    I love eating shredded carrot salad. I often combine carrots and shredded beets. Next time, I will try adding parsnips.

  16. Larry says:

    I just saw your youtube video “10-minute Baklava”. It was great. You should have your own television show.

  17. Me Myself says:

    Awesome Salad Joumana! It looks very exotic and adding Parsnip is an excellent idea:)

  18. Katerina says:

    I am on diet because summer is coming pretty soon so any recipe for salad is more than welcomed. Beautiful colors!

  19. Caffettiera says:

    I think I had it server at a Turkish restaurant this weekend.. I had forgotten about it because it was served in a small plate together with a mind-blowing homemade harissa (or better, a Turkish version of it), but this recipe made me remember how refreshing and delicious it was. And it is definitely much less work than the harissa to reproduce at home!

  20. Angie's Recipes says:

    A very wonderful salad! I have never cooked parsnip….time to try!

  21. Joanne says:

    What a beautiful take on the traditional cole slaw! I actually really don’t like cole slaw to begin with cause i hate mayo but this sounds perfect!

  22. Cherine says:

    What a great salad, so fresh and tasty!

  23. Jamie says:

    Mmmm this looks so cool and summery actually. I don’t even think I know what parsnip tastes like… I guess I need to try this. Great salad dish!

  24. Devaki says:

    What a wonderful take on traditional coleslaw. This is much much better and like EVERYTHING you fix, super interesting:)

    chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

  25. Lentil Breakdown says:

    I love the idea of this! I bet it would be good with the carrots and parsnips raw, like a traditional slaw too. Talked to my sister last night and heard all about your weather. Stay warm!

  26. Recettes says:

    merci joumana pour la reponse,bisou

  27. Nadji says:

    Tout simplement délicieux.
    Un rayon de soleil dans cette grisaille hivernale.
    A très bientôt.

  28. Magic of Spice says:

    Lovely salad and such gorgeous color and I adore yogurt cheese 🙂

  29. senga50 says:

    La fraicheur et les couleurs m’enchantent….belle recette au sumac !!

  30. Ivy says:

    It looks beautiful and love the ingredients in it. I’ve been using parsnips a lot lately.

  31. lisaiscooking says:

    This sounds like a terrific salad. I think I’d prefer parsnips in a salad rather than roasted, and the sumac on top sounds great!

  32. A Canadian Foodie says:

    I make my own yogurt and always have yogurt cheese (homemade) in the fridge too – as well, as it is winter, parsnips and carrots are a staple, so I am good to go. I love Fatouche, thus, sumac is also here. YUM! I cannot wait to try this.
    🙂
    valerie

  33. Isolde says:

    Great idea! Look healthy and delicious, and probably not too difficult to prepare. Thank you so much for sharing!

  34. Oui, Chef says:

    Love the look and sound of this dish. Seemingly so simple, yet with extraordinary flavors….well done! – S

  35. Rajani says:

    hi joumana! I’ve been on a labneh roll myself!! been eating salads with labneh the whole of this week… will be posting about it today! love coleslaw labneh take.

  36. domi says:

    Quel joli visuel pour cette salade hors du commun qui nous envoûte et nous fait voyager dans ta savoureuse cuisine….

  37. Joyce says:

    What a great idea to combine labneh with carrots! Will have to try that salad now! I am sure it is much lower in fat than coleslaw if I use low fat labneh.

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