|
The beauty of this salad is that it takes about five and half seconds to make. It's hard to believe that anything that is so easy and only has four ingredients (if you don't count s&p) could be so delicious.
1 bunch of italian parsley
2-3 big carrots, more if they're small
1-2 lemons—Meyer lemons if you can get them
2-3 T. olive oil
salt & pepper
Peel and grate the carrots. Pull the parsley leaves off the stems. You can chop the parsley really really rough if you want to (they should be in big pieces, not minced), but I leave them whole. Toss the grated carrot and parsley leaves with 2 T of olive oil and the juice of one of the lemons. Season with s&p. Taste and add more oil or lemon juice until it tastes like you like.
Variations: I like it with whole or roughly chopped mint leaves added, too, and I imagine that cilantro would be another good addition. Cooked french lentils are nice, too. Or some sliced cucumber.
A lecture:
This is really really simple. (I hear Jamie Oliver's voice as I write that—television is very pervasive and I should NOT watch it.) Because it is so simple, you are going to taste every ingredient, so the ingredients have to be very good to begin with. The parsley and carrots should be organic. Don't use curly parsley—it just doesn't have enough flavor or character. And this is the time to use the best olive oil that you have. My favorite is a very fruity Spanish oil called Nuñez de Prado. It is round and soft and buttery—not bitter or peppery like a Tuscan oil. Meyer lemons are nice, but I'm lucky to live in California, and they're easy to find. If you can't get Meyer lemons, use whatever kind grow near you.
|
