Carrot Pesto on top of cottage cheese crostinis

This is a starter that one of Germany's well known TV chefs created, Tim Mälzer. It is a bit unusual but a great nibble when having someone over and looking for finger food.
I was cooking with friends on this Good Friday and we spent a lot of time in the kitchen. There will be a lot more recipes in the next time. It is a fun way to spent a cold and rainy day.
 

Carrot Pesto Cottage Cheese Crostini

recipe:
250 g carrots
1 small onion
50 g sunflower seeds
30 g Parmesan
zest of lemon and orange
juice of a half lemon
chili
smoked paprika
salt and pepper
1 dash of sugar
1 dash of thyme
50 ml rape seed oil

Cut the carrots into small cubes, chop the onion and grate the zest and the Parmesan.
In some oil in a pan sweat off the onion and carrot with some sugar, let it caramelize a bit, add a gluck of water and season with salt. Take it out of the pan, cool it down a bit and chuck it into a blender.

In a dry pan roast the sunflower seeds until they turn golden.
Put the carrots with the seeds and the juice and thyme together and add oil and blend it up.
Take care that it is not to fine!

don´t blend it to the consistency of baby food

At last add the Parmesan, the zest  and the chili and smoked paprika.


Serve it on top of sourdough bread crostinis and cottage cheese