Moroccan Carrot Salad

This great recipe comes from our friend Chef Sarah at Gymnopedie in Athens, Ga.

In the Winter time, it's important to keep salads in rotation, even if their incarnations aren't leafy and green. This dish could be a template for any kind of root vegetable, although carrots tend to be the ones I see getting "the Moroccan treatment." You might notice that I've dialed down the hot spices in this dish. I'm quite a fan of some well-tempered spice, so, if you're in that club too, you could saute 1 minced green chile with the onions or add some dried chile flake.  Serves 4.

2 lbs carrots

1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp chopped preserved lemon
salt
2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, chopped

Peel the carrots, and cut them into 1/2 inch thick cylinders or semicircles, depending on their size. The pieces should end up approximately the same size. Place in a large saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender but still crunchy.

Drain in a colander and leave to dry out.
Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion for 12 minutes on medium heat. Add the cooked carrots, followed by the remaining ingredients, apart from the cilantro. Season with salt, stir well and remove from the heat.
Before serving, stir in the cilantro, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve in bowls.