Carrot ribbons, orange and mint salad
The humble carrot plays center role in this colourful and fresh salad. I came across the recipe in Michel Richard’s book Happy in the Kitchen (foreword by Thomas Keller) and wanted to try it. Richard’s cuisine is remarkable in its sophistication and “simplicity”, using this word judiciously. Jaques Pepin calls his cuisine “wildly simple, always brilliant”. I have marked a few recipe to try and if they work I’ll post them here.
For this salad Richard suggests to use larger carrots and peel them into ribbons with a vegetable peeler, a method that works easily and well. Once ready, you drop the ribbons into boiling water for 2 minutes to soften them just a bit, then marinate them in the dressing ingredients in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Couldn’t be easier.
Ingredients:
4 medium-large carrots
3 garlic cloves
2 oranges
2 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
2 tablespoons fresh lemons juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
20 mint leaves, cut in thin strips
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Trim the ends of the carrots and peel them. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots into long ribbons. If the carrots are thick and have a hard core, stop when you reach the core. Otherwise, continue slicing.
Remove pith and peel off the oranges by cutting off both ends and then cutting down along the flesh with a sharp knife. Working over a bowl, remove segments and squeeze to collect any juices.
Bring a pot of water to a boil together with the garlic cloves.
Once boiled, drop the carrot ribbons into the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (without the garlic) and drop into an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Once cooled, drain and dry with towels. Discard garlic.
Place the ribbons in a bowl, add olive oil, lemon and lime juice, cumin and a pinch of salt, then add the orange segments and juice and half the mint. Toss and add salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate the salad for a few hours to allow the flavours to develop.
To serve place the salad in the serving bowls, garnish with remaining mint and drizzle with the dressing in the bowl.
Enjoy.
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