Sophie's Favorite Salad

I love this salad and, more importantly, so does my family-- especially my sixteen year old vegetarian daughter, Sophie. I got the idea from a friend out in Seattle years and years ago, though her salads were complex compositions while my version is about as simple as I can make it while retaining the lemony-garlic flavor. The strong bright lemon and garlic flavors in this salad make a particularly fine accompaniment for rich heavy main dishes such as macaroni and cheese or lasagna.

Warning: you must love raw garlic and have a willingness to get your hands messy and a tolerance for the smell of garlic on your fingers or the recipe won’t work properly.

Sophie dubbed it "Smelly Fingers Salad," when she was little and the name has stuck (though I don't announce the name to guests!).


Tear clean dry romaine leaves into a salad bowl. Add a large minced garlic clove, a lot of freshly ground black pepper, and as much grated Parmesan cheese as you prefer. Use your hands to make sure all of the lettuce is coated with garlic, pepper and cheese.

Peel two very large carrots. Using the peeler, shave off long thin leaves of carrot, letting them fall into the bowl. You want the carrot pieces to be thin and flexible, not stiff. You may have to experiment with peeler types to get it right. Use your hands to mix them into the lettuce.

Cut a lemon in half, remove the seeds, and squeeze the juice (one half at a time, checking for taste) over the salad, then drizzle the best olive oil you can afford over the lemon juice. Toss and adjust to taste. Grind some more black pepper over the top, toss again and serve.

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This Post was written by Ann from Redacted Recipes