Lemon and Cumin Slaw

This is a light, lemony, crunchy slaw that goes together quickly and compliments any meat (pulled pork comes to mind!) or sturdier casseroles, such as enchiladas and mac and cheese.  It's also great alongside robust, winter soups such as chilis and chowders.

I'm always drawn to recipes with a minimum of ingredients, especially when they combine so beautifully like this, where the flavor of each ingredient is equally showcased.

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LEMON AND CUMIN SLAW
From the British Country Living magazine

This slaw keeps very, very well, and develops a deeper flavor over time.  But it's amazing freshly made, too.  I once tried adding some olive oil, but it only detracted from the fine, tangy crispness of the slaw.  

1/2 a medium-sized green cabbage, thinly sliced into shreds
1 organic lemon
1 tablespoon cumin seed (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Grate the lemon's peel into a large bowl using a Microplane or other fine grater.  Juice the lemon, adding the juice to the bowl with the peel.  Add the salt.

In a small skillet, toast the cumin seed 'til it begins to brown and becomes fragrant.  Transfer to a mortar and pestle, and grind roughly, then transfer to the bowl with the lemon juice and peel.

Whisk dressing, then toss in the cabbage and mix all together well.

Makes about 6 servings.

Mellow Mango Slaw

Even an eat-fresh-and-local fanatic like me can find more than one or two trips a week to one of our local farmers' markets a little wearing. Let's face it--sometimes it's a jungle out there on the market pavement ... but without the tropical fruit.

So when Yokes put their mangoes and red peppers on sale, I picked some up for a between-market fill-in. As often happens, I started thinking about a recipe I'd seen on another blog, and was charmed by the whole idea of using the mango and red pepper in another mellow, easy-eating salad, especially since my book group was having, fortuitously, a luncheon potluck.

The heart of my local Savoy cabbage was about the right size (the outer leaves went into this heartier slaw) and I used it even though the recipe called for milder Napa cabbage. I cut it very thin and fine.

I do have a mandoline, but in my hands it's a dangerous object, so I diced the red pepper and mango instead of cutting them in julienne. Julienning would have made a more limpid slaw, whereas in mine, each ingredient was more separate.

It struck me that coconut oil might go well with the tropical (mango) theme, and it did the trick.

My final adjustment was using Sahale Sing Buri cashews instead of finding raw ones and toasting them.

All in all, a lazy person's adaptation of an excellent salad. And the book group liked it, too.

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MELLOW MANGO SLAW
Adapted from this recipe

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
1 to 1-1/4 pound Savoy or Napa cabbage, sliced thinly and then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large or 2 small red peppers, diced
1/2 of a red onion, diced (about 1 cup)

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about two limes)
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons coconut or other oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste

1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
1/4 cup Sahale cashews, coarsely chopped, or raw cashews, toasted

Combine mangoes, cabbage, pepper and onion in a large bowl. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and stir into slaw. Keeps fine for several hours. Just before serving, stir in mint and cashews.

Serves 8

Big Slaw

Perhaps you've noticed that slaw is pretty liberally scattered around this blog. The way I see it, the cruciferous and cole vegetables are really healthy foods, and happily, when combined in slaws of various kinds, they taste wonderful. Almost everybody likes slaws, too.

Last Saturday's trip to the Pasco Farmer's Market saw me lugging home a giant Savoy cabbage and a big 'ol green cabbage from my Winter CSA farmer himself. White radishes from an earlier trip, and spring onion whizzed into the dressing to hide its presence from Mr. Eating the Scenery, who can sometimes (not always) be seen picking raw onion out of dishes, rounded this giant slaw out very nicely. "Giant" refers not to the amount of slaw, but to the Herculean size of the cabbages themselves. In fact, just the outer leaves of the Savoy cabbage were all I used ... the delectable little head is waiting its turn for another dish!

The addition of horseradish is a little secret my Mom taught me. She decided one day that her coleslaw needed a little zing, so she added some horseradish to her classic dressing of equal parts mayo, cider vinegar, and sugar. It's a delightful little mystery taste!

The finer you cut your cabbage, the more the dressing will permeate it. You can stack the leaves or wedges in the feed tube of a food processor and use the 4mm slicing disk and get a good, shreddy cut.

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BIG SLAW

Savoy cabbage leaves, thick stems cut out, sliced (about 4 cups)
Green cabbage, sliced (about 4 cups)
White or red radishes, trimmed and sliced

3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish (less if your horseradish is very hot)
1 teaspoon salt
A few grinds of pepper
1 spring onion, white part only (slice green parts and put in the slaw)

Whiz all dressing ingredients together in small food processor until smooth. Toss with the salad mixture. Keeps well, and in fact tastes better when made at least a few hours ahead of time. Vary the veggies to suit what you have on hand.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Slaw of Coles with Tarragon and Mint

The other day I was reading how plants in the cole family contain important nutrients for humans. As I looked over the list of coles, I was amazed to see 16 plants, most of which will be available in abundance at our farmer's markets this summer and fall. At any given moment, I probably have three or four coles in my fridge. It struck me that combined in a "found" salad, they would probably be very tasty!

The coles are: kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collards, bok choy, tatsoi, chard, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, rutabagas, radishes, horseradish, mustard, arugula, and watercress.

By now you probably realize that I am trying to develop and promote the technique of getting maximum benefit from seasonal, market-fresh, local ingredients. To do that, a wonderful shopping technique to use is to buy what looks fresh and good to you at the market, then figure out what to do with it. That way, all your ingredients will appeal to you and be so very fresh that you can't, as I've said so many times before, go wrong.

The habit of buying the freshest ingredients and creating dishes will eventually provide you with a fistful of favorite recipes, and you will begin to look at a motley collection of vegetables and see, instead, a salad, side dish, soup, or other tasty combination.

The mint was added when I looked out the window and saw that my pot of mint had started to sprout.

This recipe makes a very light slaw with a delicate tarragon and mint flavor. It's a good accompaniment to a substantial main dish. If you'd like the slaw to be heartier, stir in a tablespoon of Dijon, an extra tablespoon of olive oil, and a little honey. You can also use the creamy dressing from this salad (adjust amounts to suit the volume of your greens) or go Oriental by adding fresh ginger and garlic.

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SLAW OF COLES WITH TARRAGON AND MINT

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
A grind of pepper

2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups sliced arugula
1 bunch sliced radishes
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper thoroughly in a large bowl. Toss in the coles and herbs and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour or so before serving.

Makes 6 hearty servings.

Sassy Slaw of Fresh Spring Greens

As tired as I was from a busy day today, the selection of greenery in today's box drew me inexorably to make this crunchy slaw from a British magazine. Once again, the Brits score a hit with a basic dish lifted to sublime heights of earthiness. A bit sweet, a bit tangy, entirely different from typical mayo-laden slaws.

For fun, I've left in the British units of measurement. It was an extra job weighing things to make the conversion, but worth it, I think.

And yes, if you're the one writing the blog, you CAN uses phrases like "sublime heights of earthiness." I write 'em like I taste 'em.

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SASSY SLAW OF FRESH SPRING GREENS
Adapted from British Country Homes magazine

200g CSA greens (I used a mixture of kale, spinach and chard), washed, thick stems removed, and sliced (about 8 cups)
225g cabbage, sliced fine or shredded (about 2 cups)
1 bunch CSA spring onions, trimmed and chopped
1 medium apple, cored and diced
15g CSA parsley, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
150g dates (chopped) or plumped raisins (about 1/2 cup)
150g walnut pieces (about 1/2 cup)

4 tablespoons cream or sour cream
150ml walnut oil or canola oil (that's over half a cup, but I used 1/4 cup with great results)
4 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
A few grinds of black pepper

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients except the walnuts. Stir the dressing in throughly. Serve with walnuts to sprinkle on top. If you mix the walnuts in, they'll go soft if you have leftovers.

Makes 8 or so servings, but it's really good, so seconds will be taken!

Brussels Sprout Slaw with Peppery Maple Pecans

I set out to make a chiffonade saute of the CSA Brussels sprouts, but once I saw them all feathery and fluffed from slicing in the food processor, a slaw came to mind. This recipe is from epicurious.com.

The tougher outer leaves you may want to discard, but don't toss away the leaves that fall off when you trim the sprout ends. Just put the leaves in the food processor along with the whole sprouts. Use the 2-mm slicing disk.

In future, I would try making this slaw with raw sprouts; I had already sliced mine raw, so boiled them VERY briefly, then drained them. You don't want them to be soggy.

I really think that if this salad were made ahead, the dressing would temper the raw sprouts when they're sliced this thinly.

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BRUSSELS SPROUT SLAW WITH PEPPERY MAPLE PECANS

Recipe here

My only adjustment: Substitute 1 tablespoon maple syrup for sugar in the dressing recipe. The dressing makes a lot ... if you have fewer sprouts, definitely cut the dressing recipe in half.

If you're going to serve the slaw much later, put in the pecans just before serving so they stay crunchy.

In a hurry? Use purchased pecans or walnuts that are already candied. I used Sahale brand, which I had on hand.

Gunsmoke Slaw

Heretofore, when slicing Chinese cabbage for slaw, I sort of closed one eye and tried not to think about the 700 or so miles it probably traveled to get to Pasco. So it was with huge delight that I prepared Gunsmoke Slaw with my beautiful CSA Chinese cabbage.

This is a light, smoky, spicy slaw, adapted from one of my top 10 cookbooks. It pairs well with heavier winter dishes like stews and casseroles.

Slaws are extremely versatile and recipes for them can be tampered with wildly. Add vegetables, adjust dressing seasonings ... this whole recipe can be made Asian by substituting rice vinegar for cider vinegar, chili paste for chipotle, and adding fresh ginger.

For Gunsmoke Slaw, taper the chipotle up gradually. It can be really hot. Also adjust the sugar to suit your taste ... I like tangy slaws so usually reduce it. I also reduce the oil because I don't like heavy slaws. This recipe reflects my adjustments.

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GUNSMOKE SLAW
Adapted from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon sugar or agave nectar
1 teaspoon salt
Chipotle puree or chopped chipotle in adobe sauce, to taste (start with about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon canola or corn oil

2 seedless oranges, peel and pith removed, cut into sections with membrane removed
1/2 head green cabbage or 1 head Chinese cabbage, cored and sliced thinly
3 carrots, grated
5 scallions, sliced thinly

Mix dressing ingredients in a small food processor. Adjust chipotle and sugar to taste. Add dressing to vegetables in bowl and stir well. Toss in oranges. Best made at least 2 hours before serving. Keeps very well for several days.