Ingredients

  • 20 small heirloom carrots, (purple, white and orange varieties or just use small dutch carrots), washed and trimmed (but not peeled)
  • 200 g (7 oz) organic plain yoghurt
  • 1/2 bunch fenugreek or purslane, picked and washed
  • 8 small nasturtium leaves
  • 8 nasturtium flowers (any colour)

Dressing ingredients

  • 125 g (4 1/2 oz) organic raw almonds
  • 40 g (1 1/2 oz) butter
  • 3 tablespoons honey (I use orange blossom)
  • 1 tablespoon chardonnay vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon orange-flower water
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 long red chilli, sliced
  • 100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt

Author of this recipe

Matt Wilkinson

Matt Wilkinson

Chef / restaurant

I love salads because of their diversity. I’m a firm believer that a salad isn’t what we all first think of, you know, a bit of lettuce with some tomato. It can be more diverse than that.... Read more
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Quite simply a beautiful dish. The almond and honey dressing really lifts the carrots to a new level.
Please try it. This looks spectacular plated individually or on a big platter for the centre of the table.

Preparation

For the almond and honey dressing, place the almonds and butter in a 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cup) capacity saucepan. Place over medium heat and gently warm until the butter starts to foam.

Keep it on the heat and when the butter turns a hazelnut colour (beurre noisette), add the honey. Bring to the boil, then reduce by one-fifth. Add the vinegar, orange-flower water and lemon juice, bring back to the boil, turn down the heat and cook gently for 3 minutes. Pull off the heat, add the chilli, olive oil and a pinch of salt and mix thoroughly.

Set aside to cool. This dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months - just gently warm before using.

Place the carrots in a saucepan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes or until tender. Test the carrots with a sharp knife to see if they’re cooked. Drain, then while
the carrots are still hot, cut the larger ones in half, place in a bowl and toss in 3 tablespoons of the dressing.

To assemble, place one-quarter of the yoghurt on each plate, then assemble the carrots on top. Dress with a little more dressing (making sure to scoop some of the almonds up) and scatter over the herbs and flowers.

Note If purslane, fenugreek and/or nasturtium leaves and flowers aren’t readily available, you could just use flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, baby basil shoots and some small rocket (arugula) leaves.

Tips from the author

Credit: Mr Wilkinson's Favourite Vegetables by Matt Wilkinson, published by Murdoch Books)