Summer Root Vegetable Salad

Most of the time, I cook for cravings. When your life revolves around dinner, like mine does, there are a lot hours in the day when you're tossing together ingredients in your mind until you come up with an idea that will hit exactly the right spot. That's how I've discovered favorite meals of mine. It starts with thoughts like "how can I eat as much cheese for dinner as possible?" And ends with a chorizo and poblano queso fundido with warm tortillas.

But in the case of this salad, I wasn't craving anything in particular so I headed to the farmer's market and waited for inspiration to strike. Strike, it did, in the form of "womanchego" cheese. It was an aged, yet soft and supple manchego by some local producers. One taste and I was hooked, even if I thought the name was a little silly. 

I was reminded of an amazing salad I had in Stockholm. We were at a tapas place in Hornstull and the server recommended this dish--possibly the best thing I ate the whole trip. Cubes of manchego alongside cubes of celeriac with some shaved carrots, roe and a light aioli dressing. I'm usually not a root vegetable gal, but when paired with cheese, celeriac and carrots became much more appealing. So, I decided to make something similar! 

It was delicious, super seasonal and look at those colors!! So pretty that Candice filmed the whole thing and created the first video for my YouTube channel! Please check it out and subscribe. There's more to come. :)

Summer Root Vegetable Salad

• 3 carrots
• 4 small beets
• 2 red radishes
• 1/4 lb manchego cheese
• 1/3 cup black raspberries
• 2 Tablespoons carrot greens
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt, pepper
• 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts

Cooking Directions

1. Clean root vegetables, scrubbing off dirt, trimming edges and peeling skins. Discard peels.
2. Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, shave vegetables so that they're paper-thin. Ideally carrots are so thin that they act like ribbons (for extra pretty plating!).
3. Once veggies are all shaved, move on to cheese. Shave cheese, again, so you have ribbons about the same length and width as the carrot ribbons, ideally.
4. Plate veggies on a large plate, creating interwoven layers so that when you take a serving, you get every flavor in every bite.
5. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and vinegar and whisk. Slowly add in oil as you continue whisking. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Dress veggies with vinaigrette.
7. Gently place cheese shavings around the plate, on top of shaved vegetables.
8. Finally, dot with black berries for a pop of sweetness and sprinkle with carrot greens and walnuts.
9. Serves 4 as an appetizer, serves 2 as an entree.