Carrot Salad

Holding a carrot over a medium bowl, create rib- bons by running a vegetable peeler along the length. You will have wider ribbons if you keep the carrot steady and peel two opposing sides until you are left with a core. (Discard the cores or save them in your freezer for stock, chop them and add them to a soup, or add them to your compost pile.)

Fill a medium bowl with ice and cold water, and set it aside.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, add the carrot ribbons, and cook for 10 seconds. Drain, and immediately plunge the carrots into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once they are com- pletely cooled, remove the carrot ribbons from the ice bath, lay them on a kitchen towel, and gently roll them up in the towel so that they are thoroughly dried.

Make the vinaigrette:

Combine the canola oil, cumin seeds, ginger, and garlic in a small sauté pan, set it over low heat, and heat until the garlic sizzles, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Transfer the mixture to a mortar, and grind it with a pestle. Transfer this mixture to a small bowl, and add the shallot, lemon zest, lemon juice, and honey. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking to combine. Add the 1/4 teaspoon salt and the crushed red pepper. Stir in the parsley.

Combine the carrot ribbons with the vinaigrette, and set the salad aside to marinate for at least 10 minutes before serving. Taste, and season with the remaining V teaspoon salt if desired.

Yield : 4 Servings