Carrot & Date Salad


We could all use a salad about now.

I love spicy crisp carrots in any season, but they are a welcome addition in the winter months when nothing much is growing.

This carrot date salad has some Mediterranean flavors, maybe because of the dates and aleppo pepper.    It's from Eden Grinshspan's new book Eating out Loud.

The recipe calls for 2 bunches of carrots, julienned, so make sure you have a lot of time to do this......

I hand julienned 5 large carrots and it took me 30 minutes with my mad knife skills.

After that, it's smooth sailing.  

You just chop some dates and walnuts, add in some shaved red onion and all that's left is the dressing, which is a snap.


This is best made 6 hours before, so the raw onion and raw garlic mellow out, otherwise you might get heartburn (like me!).

Here's the recipe, adapted from here:

2 bunches of medium sized carrots (around 12), washed, peeled

4 dates, roughly chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, crushed

1 small red onion, finely sliced (I used only half, that's plenty)

for the dressing: 

1 small garlic clove, finely grated

1 lemon zest and juiced

1/2 tsp Aleppo plus extra to sprinkle on top

1 tbsp honey

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Julienne your carrots (a pain).....you want nice small matchsticks, so look up on google the best method.  You need a sharp knife and good wrist action.  ;)  Place the carrots in a bowl with the chopped dates and chopped walnuts.

Shave the half red onion on a mandolin and add to the bowl.


Whisk the dressing and pour over the salad and combine until everything is coated with the dressing.  Let the salad marinate about 4 hours on the counter before serving.

I think cilantro would be an excellent garnish, but I only had parsley.


This was refreshing and healthy, and even Mr. Snacks gobbled it up.


Comments

bansal tirkey said…
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