Yesterday was the last of the eight days of Hanukkah, and our local synagogue held their annual Hanukkah celebration.
As part of the festivities traditional Hanukkah foods are sold to raise funds for the school.
This year there were hot potato latkes served with homemade applesauce as well as Israeli plates which included an array of Mediterranean foods such as falafel, hummus, tzatziki, pita bread and carrot salad.
I was in the synagogue kitchen a couple of weeks ago cooking latkes along with others who had volunteered their time and generous donations for this worthy event.
At that time I offered to prepare the Israeli carrot salad which was one of the items to be served.
So Saturday evening I found myself in my kitchen with this delicious recipe from Joan Nathan, a well known Jewish cookbook author, eight pounds of carrots, and my Cuisinart food processor. (An intimate group to say the least).
It is a delicious salad, and very easy to prepare. I found that by letting it sit covered in the fridge overnight the flavors have a chance to meld and it only improves the crunchy texture of the carrots.
The addition of the orange juice adds a sweetness that complements the garlic in the recipe. I added some fresh dill to the parsley called for which also adds to the freshness of this salad.
This is a salad you can serve anytime, anywhere, not just for a holiday. Here is the recipe…
Israeli Carrot Salad (The Foods of Israel Today, Joan Nathan)
Ms. Nathan says…
…I have been making variations of this quintessentially Israeli salad for almost 30 years. Not only does it taste and look good, but it is so easy to prepare that I make it for last-minute dinner guests when I have no lettuce in the house. (Somehow my fridge is always stocked with carrots).
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
8 sprigs fresh parsley, stems removed
1 pound carrots, peeled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
several grinds of pepper
Instructions
1. Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor equipped with a steel blade, and chop or julienne.
2. Add the carrots, lemon juice, orange juice, oil, and salt and pepper.
3. Pulse until the carrots are well chopped but not pureed. Adjust the seasonings and serve.
Note: You can add orange slices and/or radish slices to garnish this salad. Optional: add grated or julienned celery root with the carrots in winter.
