Variations on a Carrot (salad)

[underused]

Just so we're clear, this isn't going to have raisins in it.

Carrots are the apple of vegetables: cheap, ubiquitous, and underappreciated. But, like apples, they're pretty indispensable. The more I cook, the more I like them.

In summer, one of our go-tos is a raw, grated carrot salad. It's cheerful, easy, and holds well in the fridge, making it a perfect extra salad for bbqs. Sometimes it's all carrot, but often we'll add in another (grate-able) vegetable for colour. The one pictured is carrot-and-radish. I might add some herbs for flavour and colour.

For dressing, we stick with oil-and-vinegar, but I usually add some herbs or other flavours.

What I'm saying is, this is the "recipe" for the photo above, but when it comes to carrot salad, you can do what you want. ☺

INGREDIENTS

4-5 large carrots, grated
2 medium radishes, grated
2-3 tbsp chopped chives and pepper cress (or parsley, or thyme*)

DRESSING

Blend:
1/3 cp olive oil
1/4 cp vinegar (whatever kind you prefer)
1 tbsp sugar or honey
1 generous tsp Dijon mustard
* if you're adding parsley, throw in a little garlic

Mix it all up and that's it, you're done!

Comments

[thedaughteroftyr]

Going to have to try this. I have rainbow carrots right now.

So I'm the odd one out for liking raisins eh?

[underused]

Oooh, rainbow carrots are pretty. But the last time I used them I found the darker colours ended up tinting the lighter ones. (When I add beets, they do the same.) It would probably be good to keep the colours separate until right before serving for maximum effect.

HA raisins. Honestly, I'm fine with them (and I like raisins as a rule), but it's just always seemed so weird to me.

[thedaughteroftyr]

Good point re bleeding colours I'll remember that.

[amidthestars]

Oh, this looks delightful. I love carrots, and I am forever on the lookout for interesting ways to prepare vegetables (especially cold, now that it's summer). I'm excited to try this.

[underused]

This house is pretty good for staying cool, as long as we're vigilant about keeping the windows closed during the day and the sun out. Using the stove can undo all that good work, so in summer we usually live on salads and whatever we can throw in the bbq. Cuisine-wise, I kind of love it.

[anita_margarita]

It looks great. My husband isn't a huge carrot fan but I think he might eat this.

[underused]

If it's any enticement, I wasn't a huge carrot fan either (despite their utility). But a raw carrot salad is pretty tasty (and filling). It's even better the second day, after it's marinated in the dressing a bit, as it doesn't get overly soggy.

[draxil]

Looks fantastic. Got to get good carrots though, carrots seem to be very variable in their tastiness. Perhaps I'll try this when my garden carrots are less diddy :)