Carrot, Parsnip and Arugula Salad

A nice addition to this salad is avocado. Peel, slice in 1/4 inch slices and gently toss with the carrots and parsnip and place on arugula. Lovely in the summer or any time for that matter!

Sea Bean Salad

This recipe will make enough for two small appetizers or one large salad. Omit the speck for all vegetarians. You can adjust red pepper flakes to be less or more spicy. Drizzle a little more olive oil around the plate.

3 oz sea Beans
2 Kumato tomatoes
4 Parisienne or baby carrots
1 bunch Hon Shemiji or similar mushroom
Mirin
1 oz of speck, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
Juice of 1 navel orange/slice and reserve peel and pulp for blanching water
Lemon garlic vinagrette
1 sprig rosemary
1 inch cube of ginger diced
1 mashed garlic clove
Extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Separate clustered mushrooms and place in a small bowl. Pour enough mirin to cover and marinate for about 1 1/2 hours. Drain and pat dry on paper towels.

Cut off heads of carrots and blanch until soft in salted water with rosemary, ginger, mashed garlic clove and reserved orange slices. Use a paper towel to gently rub off skin and slice in half lengthwise. Parisienne carrots are small and round while baby carrots about 2-3 inches long. Either one is fine.

Slice tomatoes into 6 wedges.

Use 1 tsp of oil and saute diced speck on med high (you can adjust the heat if they are not getting crispy, only takes a few minutes and speck is more delicate than bacon) until crisp. Blot on paper towel.

Rinse off sea beans and thoroughly dry off.

Make vinagrette, swap juice of about 1/2 lemon for vinegar, and pinch of red pepper flakes and olive oil. This modifies the recipe and will make extra dressing which you can use on another salad.

In a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients, gently toss everything together, except for speck. Do not salt as sea beans are very salty. Plate and sprinkle crispy speck on top.