Small

Dutch Carrot and Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Toasted Pecans

8 December 2023

ingredients

70 g pecan nut kernels - broken into 2 or 3 pieces

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 bunches of small, baby Dutch carrots

250g sugar snap peas

200g celeriac, kohl rabi or celery

4 radish

freshly ground black pepper

2 heads of witlof - preferably 1 red and 1 green

2 firm apricots or nectarines - optional

Mustard cress  or micro greens to garnish

Vinaigrette

3 teaspoons coriander seed

3 tablespoon walnut oil

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoon canola oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon Red wine vinegar

equipment

Chopping board and kitchen knife

small fry pan

Small strainer

Small bowl

Spoon

Mortar and pestle

Large bowl to make the dressing and toss the salad

Whisk

Serving bowl and servers

method

Step 1 - Toast the pecan nuts

Place a small pan over moderate heat and add the pecans. to the dry pan.

Stand by - stirring constantly until the pecans begin to colour. As soon as they do - and first nothing happens and then they burn , so pay attention - remove the pan from the heat and transfer the nuts into a dish to arrest the cooking process.

Step 2 - Prepare the vegetables

Peel and trim the carrots, keeping a small green tip on the ends.

Peel and finely slice the radish.

Trim the sugar snaps, stripping the string from the sides. Cut in half lengthways.

Rinse, trim and finely slice the radish

Peel the cerleriac if using, otherwise rinse and trim the kohl rabi or the celery. Whichever you are using cut carefully into matchsticks.

Rinse and slice the apricots or nectarines if using - into matchsticks

Step 3 - Blanch the vegetables

Bring a medium size pot half filled with water, to the boil. Add a teaspoon of salt.

Have a large basin of cold water ready.

Plunge the carrots into the boiling water and cover, simmer for 3 - 5 minutes depending upon the thickness of the carrots. As soon as they colour brightens and the carrots are just becoming tender, remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and plunge them into the cold water to stop the cooking.

When cool - place on a clean tea towel to dry.

Using the same water, plunge the snap pea slices into the boiling water and cover for 30 seconds by which time the colour should have brightened considerably. 

Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and plunge into the cold water to stop the cooking.

When cool,- place on a clean tea towel to dry.

Step 3 - Prepare the Dressing

Toast the coriander seeds in the dry pan over moderate heat for about 1 minute or until aromatic.

Grind  the seeds to a powder with a mortar and pestle and strain the powder through a fine strainer - discarding the skins.

In a large mixing bowl combine half the coriander powder with the oils and the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and adjust the vinegar taste with more oil if necessary.

Add more coriander powder to taste.

Step 4 - Assembly

Combine the prepared carrot, snap peas, celeriac (kohl rabi or  celery), sliced fruit if using and the radish slices with the vinaigrette tossing well. Lift the ingredients - using your hands and allow excess vinaigrette to drain back into the bowl. Arrange the dressed ingredients on the serving platter.

Lightly toss the witlof leaves in any remaining dressing and intersperse these amongst the other ingredients.

Scatter the nuts over.

Drizzle over any remaining dressing and coriander powder.

Garnish with mustard cress or micro herbs.

source

Recipe adapted by Elizabeth Peddey from 

Adapted by Elizabeth Peddey from Salades by Damien Pignolet