Saturday, June 12, 2021

SALAD WITH AN "EXOTIC" TOUCH


 I came in from the garden with a basket of small carrots, a handful of mint and one lovely rose. And, I had just the recipe to use all three—carrot salad, from Sabores de Sefarad, by Javier Zafra, a book I reviewed in last week’s blog.


Fresh mint.


The book actually has two recipes for carrot salad, both very enticing. One, for raw, grated carrots, calls for mint; the other, for cooked and sliced carrots, is finished with rose petals. No way was I going to grate the tiny carrots culled from my garden, so I chose to combine the recipes, using some of the flavors from both.

The recipes in Sabores de Sefarad are adaptations of foods that might have been prepared in Sephardic homes in medieval Spain. Some of the flavorings  are “exotic” by present-day Spanish standards—fresh ginger, cilantro, orange blossom water, while mint and cumin are very common.

Carrot salad with medieval flavors, garnished with rose petals.




Carrot Salad
Ensalada de Zanahorias

I just happened to have orange blossom water (agua de azahar) left from another recipe, but no rose water. If you don’t have orange blossom water, add a little grated orange zest. 

Pomegranate molasses (jarabe de granadas) is not used in Spanish cooking, but can be bought in Middle Eastern shops. If not available, use honey in its place. Although the recipe does not call for vinegar, to my taste the dressing was too sweet, so I added just a little. The garnish of rose petals is so pretty, but if you don’t have unsprayed roses, just omit the garnish. If pine nuts aren't available, use toasted almonds or pistachios.

If available, use purple carrots for this recipe or a combination of purple and orange carrots. 


Sweet and sour vinaigrette for carrots.
Serves 6.

1 pound carrots
Salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
1 tablespoon raisins
½ tablespoon orange blossom water
½ tablespoon rose water
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses or honey
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or cilantro
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
Rose petals, to garnish

Cook the carrots in boiling salted water until they are easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain and refresh them in cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel the carrots. If using full-size carrots, slice them crosswise. If using small carrots, cut them into 1 ½-inch lengths.

In a small bowl combine the ginger, cumin, raisins, orange blossom and rose water, honey or pomengranate syrup and pepper. Whisk in the oil and vinegar until the dressing is emulsified. 

Mix the dressing with the carrots. Allow to stand for 2 hours (or up to 24 hours). 

Stir in the chopped mint or cilantro immediately before serving. Spread the carrots on a platter. Garnish with the pine nuts and a few rose petals.




More recipes for carrot salad:




SABORES DE SEFARAD--Los Secretos de la Gastronomía Judeoespañola by Javier Zafra is available to order from  https://redjuderias.org/producto/sabores-de-sefarad/



6 comments:

  1. What a hugely interesting recipe using everyday ingredients for me. Geography again - I doubt many days pass here when both ginger and coriander are not used ! And every food lover has pomegranate molasses in their kitchen. Of orange blossom and rose I am far more careful as a little goes a long way - it does regularly come up in North African and Middle Eastern cooking tho' . . . as carrots naturally are oft on the menu I really want to try this soon . . .

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    1. Eha: Everyday ingredients for you, perhaps, but "exotic" in present-day Spanish cooking. Ginger and cilantro are never used, but they certainly complement the carrots. Orange blossom water I have for North African salads. In Spain it seems to turn up only in the recipe for Kings' Day roscón.

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  2. I can imagine Yotam Ottolenghi putting that on the menu in one of his restaurants. It's hard to believe that carrots were once quite woody and cultivated for their seeds and leaves.

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    1. Mad Dog: Or, top the carrot salad with a dollop of yogurt--very Ottolenghi. I believe carrots were once purple. I wonder if those were pithy and not considered edible.

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  3. I'm linked to your blog on mine, as I find living in Spain very interesting, and hope to do so in a year or two.

    Interesting recipe. Ginger and cilantro are very common in Asian cuisine. And since I'm Asian from a Muslim country, cumin and rose water are also common.

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    1. Mymaithai: A thousand years ago they were common in Spain, too! Thank you for mentioning my blog. Reading yours about cruise ships, I noted that cruises have started up here, too. The first ship into the port of Málaga this week.

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