today is father’s day, and unlike this year’s mother’s day, i did get to spend it with my father, but we weren’t exactly celebrating father’s day.
you see this weekend was our wedding, and i swear, i didn’t mean to overshadow his big day, but you put on a wedding dress and all attention is all of a sudden on you. maybe i should have made that recommendation to him, as my dad deserves his own day to be celebrated. he’s a pretty remarkable guy.
my dad and i don’t have many sentimental moments, it’s just not our style. but weddings bring that out in people i guess, because there was a lot of sentimentality to go around this weekend. he walked me down the aisle, gave a beautiful toast, and really nailed all other father-of-the-bride duties, as expected.
he even had some sweet words to say about his new son-in-law. i knew my dad had started to take jason seriously about a year and a half ago, when, during a casual volvovski family conversation about website domains and storage space – a conversation jason could hold his own in – my dad offered jason space on the family servers. he could ftp any files he wanted to, free of charge.
he has never, ever, offered this up to any past boyfriends. i knew it was an important moment.
there are many things about my dad that are remarkably predictable: the constant discussion of the latest technology, the vested interest in stories about my friends – always asking for detailed descriptions of who i’m referring to but never remembering who they are next time – and of course, the habit of poking, pinching, and challenging all those he loves to feats of strength competitions. how much can you lift? how many push ups can you do? can you do this new yoga move? prove it.
i usually do prove it, because i must have some of that competition inside of me as well.
i think it’s that my dad is still 20 years old at heart, and somewhat in body, minus that hip resurfacing surgery he had last year. and the fact that he can fall asleep at any moment in any circumstance, a surprising ability for a man who has more espresso running through his veins than seems humanly possible.
so here’s a recipe for my dad. a salad, with an emphasis on the dressing. this dressing isn’t one that my dad has an established love for, but one i know would come to its end the same way all salads do at my parent’s home: with my dad secretly taking the salad bowl to the kitchen while clearing dishes and drinking the remaining dressing straight out of the bowl, as if no one can see, even though their kitchen is completely open to the dining room.
- 2 lbs carrots, halved and sliced into 3 inch pieces
- juice from ½ an orange, remainin ½ orange reserved
- juice from ½ a lemon, remaining ½ lemon reserved
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 avocado, cut into large wedges
- 2 cups arugula
- 4 tablespoons creme fraiche
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Place carrots in a medium sized pan and cover with cold water. Add a couple of dashes of salt to the water and place over high heat. Simmer until carrots are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain carrots and transfer to a bowl.
- Meanwhile, combine cumin, garlic, thyme, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to marinade to taste.
- Toss the unjuiced halves of lemon and orange, the blended dressing, and carrots together. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake until carrots have begun to brown, about 20 minutes. Allow carrots to cool.
- Meanwhile, squeeze the remaining juice from the roasted fruit into a small bowl. Whisk in the remaining fresh orange juice and lemon juice, and the remaining olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place a small handful of arugula on four plates. Divide the carrots and avocado slices on top. Add a tablespoon of creme fraiche to each plate and sprinkle sunflower and sesame seeds on top. Drizzle the salad dressing over each plate and serve immediately.
recipe adapted from food52.
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