I am a miserable shaver. Perhaps I am not as diligent as I should be; or maybe it is that I am always in too much of a hurry, whisking a sharp razor up and down my peaked legs; but whatever it is I just can’t do it well. Each time I step into the bath, steam curling calmly at the surface of the water, I lather up my legs with shaving cream, and begin the process, the cream is zipped off with every course of my bright pink razor. The job is done, all looks well, and I emerge from the bath, and begin to dry off. Then the minute cuts turn into gushing, sanguine rivers of blood. I dab with a tissue, try putting on lotion to stop the hemorrhages. The bathroom looks like a crime scene. I cannot shave my legs. But what I can shave, are vegetables, and here is how:

I own a mandoline. Not one of those super-duper, fancy-schmancy sorts, just a good mid-range one; and I love it. It waffle cuts, crinkle cuts, and shaves thinly, but truth be told, I really only use the shaving and slicing attachments. In the spring and summer, when fresh produce abounds, I eat a lot of salads. Now these are not your typical, dietetic salads served with a wedge of lemon. One of my favorite things to do with my trusty mandoline, is to slice thinly, and serve vegetables raw, that are typically served cooked.

Case in point, this simple salad, composed of baby arugula, curls of parmesan cheese, and shavings of raw, baby artichokes. Cleaned, sliced in half, choke removed, then rubbed with a lemon to prevent oxidation, these chokes when eaten raw are an entirely different beast. Crisp, nutty, and tasting of spring, these artichokes were the perfect mediation to the peppery arugula. The most challenging aspect to this salad, is keeping the artichokes a sprightly green color upon shaving them. Despite rubbing the entire choke with a lemon, I found that the pieces of artichoke needed a toss in lemon juice immediately after shaving, to prevent oxidation.

Besides that the rest of the salad couldn’t be simpler, just the way I like to eat in the warmer months. Arugula was tossed with the artichokes, some flavorful, green olive oil was added, and a splash of balsamic vinegar, bringing out the sweetness of this salad. To prevent the cheese from getting slimy, it was added at the last moment– post-dressing. Shaving veggies is a wonderful alternative to the standard, and gives the vegetables new life. I have done it with beets, zucchini, asparagus, all with delicious results. And don’t think that shaving has to be done on pricey mandoline– a good, sharp vegetable peeler works just fine as well. This season I’ll shave just about anything. For my legs, I think I’ll resort to waxing.