Carrot Slaw

Mustard adds tang to this French-style dish

Coleslaw doesn’t require cabbage (really). You can use almost any shredded vegetable to make slaw. In France, carrots are a popular choice.

And what a terrific choice it is! The bright color and vibrant flavor of carrot slaw will liven up any picnic or cookout. Plus, you can make this dish several hours ahead of time.

Tasty, make-ahead dishes are gold. In this case, 14-carrot gold.

Recipe: Carrot Slaw

Carrot slaw reportedly is so popular in France that most supermarkets offer it prepackaged. Next time we visit France, we’ll have to check out their version.

This recipe takes about 15 minutes to prepare. You can serve it immediately, but it’s better if refrigerated for at least an hour (overnight is fine, too).

This recipe yields about 8 largish servings. Leftovers keep well for a few days if refrigerated in an airtight container.

Ingredients

• 1 to 1½ pounds carrots (exact quantity not critical)
• 1 bunch of scallions
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• salt to taste (a few pinches of kosher salt for us; see Notes)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste (maybe half a dozen grinds)

Procedure

1. Peel the carrots and trim their ends. Use a box grater or food processor to grate the carrots, then place them in a medium-size bowl.
2. Wash and dry the scallions. Cut off their root ends. Slice the scallions thinly, then add most of the slices to the carrots (we reserve a small amount for garnish). Mix the carrots and scallion slices together.
3. Mix the dressing in a small jar with a lid: Add the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, celery seed, salt, and black pepper to the jar. Cover the jar and shake vigorously until the dressing is well mixed. Add the dressing to the carrots and scallions, then mix thoroughly.
4. Refrigerate the slaw in an airtight container for at least an hour before serving (to let the flavors mingle together). You can make the slaw up to a day ahead of time.
5. When ready to serve, add a garnish of sliced scallions, if you wish. Enjoy.

Notes

• You can substitute lemon juice or cider vinegar for wine vinegar if you prefer.
• Don’t like olive oil? Substitute any vegetable oil you like.
• You can substitute chives or shallots for scallions.
• Like chopped parsley? Feel free to add some to this slaw for extra color and flavor.
• We’ve seen recipes that add a teaspoon or so of honey and/or the zest of 1 orange. We haven’t tried this, but it sounds interesting.
• We’ve also seen recipes that add raisins (maybe half a cup). Again, an interesting idea.
• Don’t like celery seeds? Just skip them.
• We use kosher salt in cooking. It’s less salty by volume than table salt because the crystals are larger (so they don’t pack a measure as tightly). If using regular table salt, start with about half as much as we suggest.
• But, as always, season to your taste, not ours.

Carrot and Stick

“Fun take on slaw,” said Mrs. Kitchen Riffs. “Bunnies everywhere will be making this.”

“Yup, they’ll hop to it,” I said. “But wonder how they’ll react to the tangy mustard dressing?”

“Their cotton tails will fluff up, no doubt,” said Mrs K R.

“The wine vinegar may cause nose twitch,” I said.

“Serves them right for the damage they’ve done to our garden this year,” said Mrs K R.

“Are you in Mr. McGregor mode again?” I asked.

“Indeed,” said Mrs K R. “I get hopping mad every time I see the bun-ihilation!”

Of course, the rabbits don’t carrot all.

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Moroccan Carrot Salad
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Shaved Fennel Salad
Summer Green-Bean Salad
French-Style Braised Lettuce and Peas
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