Newbie in the Kitchen – Carrot Salad

The first time I made a meal by myself, I was 13.

I chose an appetizer, an entree and a dessert, made my grocery list and bought what I needed with my mother.  On Saturday, I passed all day in the kitchen. Dinner was delicious and I was really proud of myself. At 13, I already knew I loved being in the kitchen. At 18, I created a blog to share my passion for food.

One of the things I made for that first cooking experience was a carrot salad. And it was so good and easy that I made it lots of times after. The last time I made it was… last night.

Adaptation of “Salade marocaine de carottes à l’orange”, La cuisine des filles, Fleurus

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds carrots
• Small handful fresh coriander, coarsely chopped

Vinaigrette:

• 3/4 cup pure orange juice
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 heaping tsp old style mustard
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• Salt, pepper to taste

Directions:  Peel and slice carrots. Steam or boil them. Meanwhile, prepare vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients together.
Put carrots in a bowl and let cool 5 minutes. Garnish with coriander and pour vinaigrette on top. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge at least overnight so that the flavors can melt.
Toss when ready to serve.

Makes 4-6 servings

This salad is good when the carrots are fully cooked but it is also when they are still a little crunchy. You could make it less in advance but it is the kind of dish that gets better over time!

When was your first experience in the kitchen? What did you make?
That night, I also made Flammeküeche and chocolate fondant. Need to make that dessert soon…