I ate my first carrot-mint salad at the table of my dear neighbor, Betty, who was born in Morocco, grew up in Israel, came to Cleveland as a young mother, and became a gifted and inspired cook somewhere (everywhere!) along the way.  She taught me that there’s something about the mix of sweet carrots and mint that makes my tastebuds very happy.  Here is a different carrot salad, more or less from Claudia Roden’s Book of Jewish Food, that 18 people made disappear from my table the other night. 

1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds (less than 1/4 in)
4 stalks of celery, sliced twice as thick as the carrots (approx 1/4 in)
1/4 cup cured black olives
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
6-8 leaves mint, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt (1/2 t) and pepper (1/4 t)
water

Cover carrots just barely with water, bring to a boil, and allow to simmer at low heat for 30 minutes until the carrots begin just barely to soften.  Add the celery for the last 15 minutes of cooking.  Then pour off most of the water leaving just enough to make a sauce, approx 1/2 cup.  Add olive oil, parsley, mint and olives.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix.  Let sit for at least a few hours to allow flavors to blend.  Serve cold or at room temperature.