Mediterranean Carrot Salad with Creme Fraiche and Parmigiano Frico

“Frico” is little more than grated hard Italian cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padana) formed into small circles and baked until they become crisp, golden cheese crackers. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes and yields lacey, cheesy rounds. We like them with tomato soup or crumbled on top of a salad, like we’ve done with this carrot dish. The acidic and sweet carrot mixture features two different types of olives and sits atop a cooling pool of crème fraîche. The crunchy frico on top provides both visual and flavorful flair.

Featuring

prep time
10minutes
assembly time
20minutes
Serves
2people

preparation & ingredients

1 pound carrots, trimmed and peeled

1/3 cup roughly chopped pitted Kalamata olives

1/3 cup roughly chopped pitted Castelvetrano or other nice green olives

4 medjool dates, pitted and very roughly chopped

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp dried chili flakes

1/2 cup lighly packed roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Murray's Italian Evoo

1 cup crème fraîche

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup finely grated or shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano (or any other hard grating cheese)

silicone baking sheet or parchment paper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place heaping tablespoons of cheese onto a mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet, spreading each mound about 3" wide and spacing at least 1" apart. Bake until light brown and melted, 5-6 minutes (check occasionally while baking). Let cool completely. Carefully peel off the frico and set aside.

Split larger carrots lengthwise and leave slender carrots whole. Cut them on a sharp angle so you have long, angled, ¼-inch thick pieces of carrot.

Place carrots in a medium saucepan or skillet; add a glug of olive oil, 1/2 cup water, chile flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and many twists of black pepper. Cook at a lively simmer, uncovered, until the carrots are just crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool slightly, and drain off any remaining liquid.

To a large bowl, add the cooked carrots, olives, and dates. Pour in the vinegar and toss. Taste and adjust with salt, black pepper, chile flakes, or vinegar until the flavor is vibrant. Add parsley and toss again.

Divide the crème fraîche among four plates or one large platter, and spread it around in a nice schmear. Pile the carrot salad on top, leaving some cream visible. Lay the frico on top, whole or broken into shards.