Growing up in France, the school "cantine," or cafeteria, lunch was a class of its own. A full meal from beginning to end. Grated carrots were somehow always part of the menu.
Served by themselves and never combined with other vegetables or greens.
I grew up eating grated carrot salad at least twice a week.
The French dress it very lightly with vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper with chopped parsley.
I have to admit I am not a fan of carrots. You will never see me grab one, peel it and just bite into one.
Just not my thing I guess. Honestly, I always considered carrots rabbit's food rather than people's food. Was I ever wrong!!
However, one thing that I adore is this classic French recipe for a grated carrot salad.
I always enjoyed the fresh and crisp bite of this dish. It all lays on the thickness or coarseness of how you grate the carrots. Silly, right? But that is where the secret lies.
But do not let it fool you. There is more to grating a carrot than most people think.
If you grate the carrots too coarsely, it will take forever to chew them.
Grate them too thinly. They will turn into mush, and you do not want that either.
You can go three ways here to make the perfect carrot salad:
I use my food processor at least once a week, and I do not know what I would do without it. Using the hand box grater, you may want to toss the core.
Do not worry about the core if using the food processor.
Carrots are highly nutritious and packed with nutrients that our body needs daily.
Potassium, vitamin A, K, and C. Beta-carotene, and antioxidants. Great for your heart as well as being suitable for your eyes.
However, they do contain more natural sugar than any other vegetable.
You may want to try making:
Swordfish and Carrot Salad
Roasted Carrots with Orange Brown Butter and Sage
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Mustard Dressing
And let's not forget: carrot soup, glazed carrots, or honey glazed. A very versatile vegetable.
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