A Meal From The Mediterranean

When New York chef Ivy Stark began to think about her "Chef on a Shoestring" segment, her mind wandered — all the way to Europe.

Stark, whose new Manhattan restaurant Amalia features dishes inspired by the Mediterranean, decided to create a "Shoestring" menu featuring foods that are familiar but have an exotic accent.

Her Mediterranean Carrot Salad has chopped vegetables and a light, lemony vinaigrette, and is topped with olives, oranges, honey, almonds and orange water.

The meatballs are made of ground lamb and topped with a Moroccan-style yogurt sauce. And the dessert, a strawberry semifreddo, is at once sweet, cold, frothy and fruity.

The best news? You can make this menu for three friends — and it won't set you back more than $40.


MEDITERRANEAN CARROT SALAD WITH GREEN OLIVES AND ORANGE

Ingredients:
1 lb. sweet carrots, peeled, and sliced into long ribbons
1 small red onions, thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, finely sliced
6 radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 cup pitted green olives, sliced lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon orange flower water
1 head butter lettuce
1 orange, supremed
fresh mint leaves
fresh cilantro leaves
toasted slivered almonds

Method:

1. Whisk oil, lemon juice, orange peel, coriander and honey in large bowl to blend.
   
2. Add carrots, red onions, fennel, and radish and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in olives. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
   
3. Stir salad to redistribute dressing. Garnish edges of plate with butter lettuce, orange supremes, almonds, mint leaves and cilantro.
   
4. Mound carrot mixture in center of plate, drizzle with orange flower water.

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