Shredded Carrot Salad with Orange and Pine Nuts

In 2007, before I lived in Sonoma County, I was out wine tasting with friends. We decided to go off the beaten path and visit a winery I had never been to before. I am personally very adventurous, but on this day, was rolling my eyes at how far we were going to check out this place.

Marimar Estate is owned by Marimar Torres of the famed Torres Wine family in Spain. My friends and I were greeted by the tasting room manager and she immediately asked if we wanted to do the tapas and wine pairing. No brainer for us at all, and soon we were sipping on some of the best Chardonnay and Pinot I had every tasted while savoring tasty housemade tapas.

Over time, I got to know Marimar well and also developed a friendship with her daughter Cristina. As Marimar is also a cookbook author, I decided to adapt this recipe from her book titled The Spanish Table. This is tatsy and easy to prepare.

Makes 4 servings

• 1 ½ pounds of carrots, shredded
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 1 tsp salt

Peel and shred the carrots, you should have about four cups. I shredded mine in a food processor. Place them in a bowl with the orange, lemon, and salt. Allow to marinate anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour.

Now heat the oil in a small pan and saute the pine nuts, constantly stirring until golden. Just before serving, toss the nuts with the carrots.