A scholarly salad: How to elevate your vegetable sides

Salad seems like a simple, trivial thing. I disagree with this notion. I believe that composing a well-tasting vegetable mix is not at all easier than preparing, say, a juicy beef roast. Or, to put it differently, while we are bombarded with ideas on how to prepare meat from every possible direction, recipes for proven vegetable sides are as rare as hen's teeth. That is why I treat every such recipe as a treasure. Provided, of course, it makes sense. And that’s precisely what Professor's Salad is.

What is this allegedly "clever" dish? As one might expect, it is a simple vegetable composition. Simple, yet well thought out, as if its composition had been debated in academic halls. Cabbage, bell pepper, carrot, and corn turn out to be a true vegetable dream team, and combining these ingredients with an aromatic dressing made from olive oil and lime juice completes this incredible culinary masterpiece.

Ingredients:

• 1 red bell pepper,
• 1/2 head of white cabbage,
• 1 carrot,
• 200 grams of canned corn,
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil,
• salt and pepper,
• parsley,
• 1 lime.

Preparation:

1. I remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut the vegetable into thin strips. I drain the corn, peel the carrot, and grate it using a large-holed grater. I shred the cabbage. I transfer all the vegetables into one large salad bowl.
2. It's time for the dressing! I squeeze the juice from one lime and mix it with a few tablespoons of olive oil. I season it with salt and pepper. You can also add apple cider vinegar, but this time, I’ll pass on it.
3. I pour the ready dressing over the vegetables and mix everything thoroughly. Only at the end do I add finely chopped parsley. And it’s done—here is the Professor's Salad in all its glory.