Moroccan Carrot Salad (Khissoo)

Clockwise from top right:
Spinach salad, Moroccan carrot salad,
rice, okra & chickpea stew

Given that my blog title promises to go beyond salad, the irony of posting a salad recipe is not lost on me. However, this one is really worthy of sharing. My dad and I love it so much, we could eat the whole salad ourselves, so I always make double if he's around.

This recipe is based on one found in Classic Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East & North Africa by Habeeb Salloum. However, to suit my own tastes, I've decreased the sugar slightly and increased the amount of cinnamon.

A couple of notes:

• Once, I made this salad without orange-flower water. It was still good, but it just wasn't the same. It's worth finding a Middle Eastern or Indian grocery store for this ingredient because the orange-flower water totally transforms this dish into something unusually special.
• Grating so many carrots might seem like a daunting task, but if you have a food processor (or some older children), it doesn't take too long at all.

Moroccan Carrot Salad (Khissoo)

Ingredients:
6 large carrots, grated
A little less than 1/4 cup sugar
4 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp orange-flower water
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Chill. Stir before serving.