Purple Carrot Ribbons with Lavender and Walnuts

Difficulty:
1/5

Ease of Preparation: Easy

Yield: 4-6, as a salad

Purple Carrot Ribbons with Lavender and Walnuts

This is anything but your typical carrot salad! Thin ribbons of purple carrot are enhanced by a dressing of earthy carrot juice, sweet honey, tart red wine vinegar, and floral lavender.

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:

  • 2 cups (470 ml) carrot juice
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried lavender
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (105 ml) walnut oil
  • Salt and pepper

 Salad:

  • 1 pound (454 g) purple carrots, trimmed
  • 2 ½ cups (590 ml) mixed greens
  • ½ cup (120 ml) loosely packed red oak lettuce (or other baby leaf lettuce)
  • Vinaigrette
  • 1-2 ounces (28-57 g) Pecorino Romano, shaved into long ribbons
  • Toasted walnuts, to garnish

 

Method:

For the Vinaigrette:

In a small saucepan, combine the carrot juice, honey, vinegar, rosemary, and lavender, and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by ¾, 10-15 minutes.

Strain and reserve the carrot juice, discard the solids. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, using an immersion blender, blend together the reduced carrot juice, rosemary, and lavender.

Slowly stream in walnut oil while blending to emulsify.

Season with salt and pepper.

For the Salad:

With a vegetable peeler, shave the carrots into long wide ribbons. If not using right away, keep crisp in cold water (draining and patting very dry before assembling the salad).

Toss together the carrots, mixed greens, and red oak lettuce.

To Serve:

Dress the carrot-greens mixture with the Vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with Pecorino and toasted walnuts.

Serve immediately.