Sometime ago, Pille posted a Finnish salad recipe that caught my interest. Why? Because, first, it looked appetizing; second, it looked easy to make; third, I had all the ingredients readily available in my kitchen; and it reminded me of my friend from Finland.

We’ve been in the middle of a heat wave and it’s miserable. The Carrots with Rosemary and Orange sounded like the perfect dish to make and eat, especially on a hot day.

The ingredients consisted of carrots, onions, fresh rosemary, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar.

Assembling the ingredients together was easy. My only problem was that the amounts were measured in “dl” – a term I didn’t remember seeing before (I should have paid better attention in my math class.). After some research, I was able to figure out and convert the measurements.

I approximated:

3dl water into 1 ½ Cup water

1dl orange juice into ½ Cup orange juice

I couldn’t figure out what 0.5 dl for the sugar and olive oil measurements, so I used those ingredients very sparingly (as Pille noted in the first place).

Later Pille explained that part of the metric measurements, “dl” stands for “deciliter,” which is one tenth of a litre. One U.S. Cup is equal to 2.5dl. Ahhh! I like to learn something new every day.

The recipe called for a sprig of rosemary. I used more than a sprig because I like rosemary, and although my dish turned out fine, the rosemary ingredient was a tad bit strong for me. Next time, I’ll use a sprig and only a sprig of rosemary, when instructed.

All in all, I liked my Carrots with Rosemary and Orange salad. It tasted nice, cool and crunchy. I think that the orange juice and zest played an important part in making the taste come alive. I’m happy I made it. Another food adventure accomplished. Below is the photo of my jarred carrots with rosemary and orange, but if you want to see a nicer, more professional photo, you’ll find it on Pille’s blog here.

Paz