Carrot Pear Salad with Miso Vinagrette

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp white miso paste (see notes 1)
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup oil (any neutral-tasting oil works)
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar (or more as needed)
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 shallots (medium size, finely minced or use 1/2 small red onion)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste (if needed)
• 450 g carrot (peeled (about 4-6 medium-size carrots))
• 300 g pear (firm but ripe, about 2 small pears)
• 2 stalks scallions (finely sliced)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Prepare the dressing: (can be prepared the day before) ---

2. 2

   Whisk the miso, vinegar, and sugar until smooth. Miso paste can be a bit hard to mix at the beginning, but just keep whisking. Add oil, black pepper and whisk again. Add the minced shallots and ginger. Cover and let it "marinate" in the fridge to allow the flavor to meld. The dressing should taste tangy, savory, with just a hint of sweetness. Adjust the taste to your preference

3. 3

   If you make ahead, you can store it in a jar. The vinagrette will separate as it sits, give it a simple shake before pouring it onto the salad

4. 4

   --- Prepare the carrots and pears: ---

5. 5

   Shred half of the carrots with a large-holed grater and slice the other quarter of the carrots into thin coins and the rest into dice. This is mainly for presentation and a bit of texture play. You can shred all of them if you prefer to do so

6. 6

   You don't need to peel the pear. Just half the pear, remove the stem, the core and the seeds. Cut into thin slices. I soak my pear slices in 1 cup of water with 1 Tbsp of lemon juice for 5 minutes. This helps to slow down the browning or up to about 8 hours. Then remove and pat them dry

7. 7

   --- Assembling: ---

8. 8

   Put the carrots, pears, and scallions in a large salad bowl.

9. 9

   Give the dressing a whisk or a shake (if you keep it in a jar). Pour the dressing over them. Use a tong to gently toss the salad to make sure the dressing coats everything evenly

10. 10

    --- Serve immediately: ---

11. 11

    Once you add the dressing, the salad need to be serve immediately. The longer it sits, the "watery" it may become and the pears may not look as good anymore too