Ottolenghi Carrot Salad.
Ottolenghi Carrot Salad is derived from a recipe in Jerusalem: a Cookbook and it has a lovely balance of acid/heat/sweet. Ottolenghi says to toss it with chopped arugula but we like it better on its own. Serves 8 as part of a mezze assortment with other salads and dips.
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs carrots, maybe 6 large or 10 medium
3 T neutral oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped to yield 2 c
2 T harissa* or ¼ to ½ t cayenne
½ t ground cumin
½ t caraway seeds, ground in a spice mill/coffee grinder or mortar and pestle
½ t sugar
3 T cider vinegar
½ t salt
1 ½ c arugula leaves, coarsely chopped
Method: peel carrots and trim the ends and cut in half crosswise. Put the larger halves into water and bring to the boil, then add smaller halves (so they cook evenly) and simmer till barely tender, maybe 10 minutes after water comes to the boil. Drain, cool and cut into ¼ inch rings.
Sauté chopped onions in 1 ½ T oil, stirring constantly, till they become crispy but not burnt, maybe 10 minutes. Mix in all other ingredients except arugula, including the reserved 1 ½ T oil. Toss in the pan off the heat to toast the spices then cool slightly. Mix in carrots and allow at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend. Mix in (optional) arugula leaves and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
*There are many prepared harissas available and flavors vary from one to the next, so taste before adding. Our favorite is a local product from a restaurant called Tara’s Kitchen. It’s slightly spicy with a flavor profile similar to the carrot dish, including cumin, caraway and sugar.
