Cobnuts: fresh cobnuts are sold in their husks from late summer. Crack them with a nutcracker and rub off the thin brown skin between your fingers if you find it bitter. Out of season, use 60g blanched hazelnuts; toast them in a dry frying pan for 3-4 minutes if you want more flavour.
Carrot recipes
Carrot and cobnut salad with blackberry dressing
Michaelmas falls on 29 September, and country lore has it that blackberries should be left on the bramble from then on. This no-cook starter gathers the last of them into a sharp pink dressing for ribbons of carrot, crisp apple and fresh Kentish cobnuts, three things that are in season together for only a few weeks. Why it's so good: Raw carrot and apple bring sweetness and crunch, fresh cobnuts are milky and mild, and the crushed blackberry dressing ties them together with a fruity sharpness a plain vinaigrette cannot match. Make it easy: Buy ready-shelled cobnuts where you can, or use 60g blanched hazelnuts, and shave the carrots with a Y-shaped peeler rather than a knife.
Dairy-freeGluten-freeVeganVegetarian
Serves4 as a starter
Hands-on20 min
OvenNone
DifficultyEasy
Method
Put 60g of the blackberries in a small bowl and crush with a fork until juicy and broken down. Add the cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard and a pinch of salt, then whisk in the rapeseed oil a little at a time until the dressing turns glossy and deep pink. Taste and add a splash more vinegar if the berries are very sweet. Set aside, keeping the remaining blackberries whole.
Using a Y-shaped peeler, shave the carrots lengthways into long ribbons, turning each carrot as you go and stopping when you reach the woody core. Put the ribbons in a large bowl of iced water for 5 minutes to crisp up, then drain well and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
Quarter and core the apples, then cut into thin matchsticks. Squeeze over the juice of half the lemon and toss so the pieces do not brown.
Roughly chop two-thirds of the cobnuts, leaving the rest whole, and tear most of the mint leaves.
Put the carrot ribbons, apple, torn mint and chopped cobnuts in a large bowl, pour over two-thirds of the dressing and toss gently with your hands until everything is lightly coated.
Divide the watercress between 4 plates and pile the salad on top. Scatter over the whole cobnuts, the reserved blackberries and the remaining mint leaves, spoon over the rest of the dressing, then finish with a pinch of flaky salt and a squeeze more lemon. Serve straight away.
Nutrition
| Calories | 285kcals |
|---|---|
| Fat | 20g (1.4g saturated) |
| Protein | 3.8g |
| Carbohydrates | 20g (19g sugars) |
| Fibre | 5.8g |
| Salt | 0.5g |
Quick wins, tips & make ahead
Make ahead: the dressing keeps in a jar in the fridge for 2 days (whisk again before using), and the carrot ribbons can sit in iced water in the fridge for up to 2 hours. Cut the apples at the last minute so they stay pale and crisp.
Check the label: wholegrain mustard is usually gluten-free, but a few brands add wheat flour, so read the jar if you are cooking for a coeliac guest. Maple syrup rather than honey keeps the dressing vegan.
Make it a light lunch by adding a handful of cooked Puy lentils or white beans, or swap pears for the apples and rocket for the watercress. More ideas are in our carrot recipes.
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