Picture it: Vermont, late April. The grass is new and green, the sun is warm and vibrant, the air is moving, and you are digging on a beautiful veggie sandwich and the most unbelievably satisfying farmer’s market deli salad you’ve ever tasted. Now, imagine that you have to leave such an experience behind to return to the city life with only your memories of the meal to sustain you. What do you do? Well, you go to the grocery store.
This is definitely a make it up as you go situation. I have to admit, I went digging for a recipe that would exact the flavors I remembered in this salad, but such a recipe does not exist in the Google annals. Luckily for me, this salad was as simple to recreate as it was spectacular to eat. Seriously, I have to stop cooking things I like for other people because I end up being sad that there are no leftovers the next day. Although, I have to say that I cooked for some very sophisticated diners last night who couldn’t stop raving about the flavor which just never gets old.
You will like this salad. that is of course if you also like cherries, gorgonzola and carrots. I’ve never had cherries in a salad before but now I have two cups of them in my pantry so I’m on the lookout for more ways to sneak them into meals. The flavors here are not subtle and I did struggle to think of some good accompaniments, but I ended up broiling lamb chops and serving it all with a wild rice and lemon asparagus salad, so nothing was too overpowering. All in all, it takes about 40 minutes to make this salad, but really once the carrots are caramelized the work is done. Caramelizing essentially involves sauteing vegetables on low-medium heat in butter, oil, or sugar until browned and caramel-y. It takes a bit of time, but totally worth it. I suggest caramelizing as many of your ingredients (especially onions!) as you can, as often as possible. You’ll thank yourself later.
Carmelized Carrot Salad
serves 4
4-5 large carrots
1T butter *
2T brown sugar *
1 1/2c. dandelion greens (or spinach, or spring greens of your choice),coarsely chopped
3/4c. dried cherries
1/2c. walnuts
1/2c. gorgonzola
* you can also substitute both of these ingredients for maple syrup
Fill a medium saucepan about one third of the way with water and set to boil on the stove. Prepare carrots by peeling and cutting carrots into 2 inch pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Once water is slow boiling, blanch carrots for about 3-4 minutes or until soft. Remove from the water. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet melt the butter and the brown sugar and add in the carrots, stirring until coated. Continue to saute the carrots, stirring occasionally until they start to become a golden brown; this may take 20-30 minutes. If you notice that the carrots are cooking too quickly or charring a bit, turn down the heat and cook more slowly. While the carrots are cooking, coarsely chop the dandelion greens and toast the walnuts in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking occasionally. In a medium bowl or serving dish, add the dandelion greens, cherries, and walnuts. Once the carrots are finished, add to the bowl with about 2/3 of the gorgonzola and toss. Sprinkle to remaining cheese on top and serve.
I have dried cherries in the pantry, too, and have been meaning to figure out what to do with them. I’m leaning toward cherry almond scones…
Ooh, I wouldn’t be sad to help you eat them!