Honeymoon Carrots

The new look for The Split Pea is my husband's work. He is a computer witch doctor. It is very strange how I fail at every attempt to fix any computer problems, whereas Bryan need only look at the machine in question, and it will bow down to his will, immediately stopping the tantrum with which it taunted me. Thank you, honey. I love it!

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When we got married seven years ago, I didn't know how to cook. Let me rephrase that: I knew how to eat and I knew what I liked, but I didn't know how to use spices, how to complement flavors, what other ways of cooking there were, aside from my parents' standbys, which truth be told, I did not know how to cook either. So, after our quick wedding, we jumped on Bryan's VW Jetta and set off for a 19 hour drive to Naples, Florida. It was a fun road trip.

Naples was as beautiful as ever, and the condo where we stayed was amazing. The most impressive aspect of this place was the kitchen. Beautiful, spacious, with big windows, large island, smooth white counter-tops, and a corner with a desk and shelves. I adored that kitchen! So much so, that I decided to cook for Bryan. I believe we went into an Albertson's to buy groceries: chicken breasts, oregano, parsley, carrots, potatoes, red lettuce, bread, garlic, and dill weed (among other things).

While I played house, Bryan sat by the pool reading one of his Sci-Fi brain candy books, occasionally peeking through the windows, or poking his head in the kitchen to see if the meal was ready. I did take my time. Really. It took about three hours to make a simple meal of pan fried chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, carrot salad, and green salad.

I would be lying if I told you that the cooking time was the only thing wrong with my meal. This is embarrassing. I don't know what came over me, but in a moment of over-zealous house-wivery, I decided to season everything, well, almost everything with dill weed. Yes. I know.

So, we had pan-fried dill chicken, green salad with green onions, dill mashed potatoes, and a carrot and dill salad.

Bryan is amazing. Usually he will not complain about the food I cook. He certainly did not complain about the time it took for dinner, or the flavor of the food. We did laugh though, after a particularly clever comment that he made, which had to do with the ridiculous amounts of dill we were consuming.


Despite the wait and the dill-ness, one of the best dishes of that meal was the carrot and dill salad that my parents make frequently when carrots are in abundance. My sister Jola makes a delicious version of this as well. Here is my humble take on our family classic.

Every time I make it, there is always a hidden smile when we take the first bite of the carrots. It may be just the pleasing taste, but I suspect it is the memory of our first home-cooked meal together.



Honeymoon Carrot Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb of carrots (I usually buy the pre-sliced carrot chips), sliced into ¼ inch slices
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of dried dill weed
3 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped very fine
Juice and zest of one lemon (a microplane comes handy here)

-In a large pan bring water to a boil and season with salt (about 1-2 teaspoons)
-Add the carrot chips and boil on medium high for 5-6 minutes until tender crisp. Make sure they do not get too soft and mushy.
-Strain the carrots and rinse with cold water.
-In a large bowl mix the carrots with the rest of the ingredients. Make sure they are mixed thoroughly.
-Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour, stirring occasionally.
-The more the salad rests, the tastier it will be.

Ju bëftë mirë!
-E.