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Food for Thought Friday: this surprising recipe = āmust try!ā at first sight
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Hello! Spring is on the way, and so it's time for another salad recipe! This salad is actually great year round (because cabbage is always around!) but I first ate it in the spring so I will always think of it in springtimeš.
You may remember that I LOVE cabbage. Mainly because itās delicious, you donāt have to wash it, and it lasts 2+ weeks in the fridge! I love to roast it, sautĆ© it, and YES, eat it raw! You may have only ever heard of raw cabbage in āslaws,ā which was true for me too until spring of 2017 when I spotted this on a menu (at FnB restaurant in Scottsdale, AZ):
āsalad of cabbage, green almonds, mint, dried apricots, fetaā
āSalad of cabbageāā¦ WHAT?!? I had never heard of that so obviously I had to try it! And it was SO GOOD that I brought the menu home so I could make it myself.
Cabbage in a salad WORKS when you:
- Chop it in small, bite size pieces so itās easier to eat
- Add some elegant, springy toppings + light, zingy dressing to elevate humble cabbage to tasty heights!
- Toss really well with tongs or your hands to help the cabbage absorb the dressing
If you're thinking that I'm a weirdo cabbage lover and you can't relate - I'll also have you know that this is one of those dishes that I used to bring to potlucks and people would text/email me afterwards to ask for the recipe because they were STILL thinking about this salad days later!
It's been too long since Iāve made this, and I've been seriously craving it all week. After writing about it all morning, now I REALLY have to go make itā¦ and I hope you do too! Recipe below the pic. Enjoy!
Love,
Jess
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Elegant Cabbage Salad
takes 25 minutes, makes a big bowl
*This actually keeps a day or two in the fridge! It will wilt a little and the mint will turn brownish but it will still taste good! If you do store leftovers, it may need a refresh of dressing and salt/pepper.
Ingredients:
- 1 large green cabbage
- roughly 1 cup whole hazelnuts or almonds (walnuts, pecans, or pistachios would also work well)
- about 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (sub avocado+capers or another cheese if needed although the feta is by far my fav)
- about 1/2 a bunch fresh mint (or sub another fresh herb if you have to)
- 1/2- 3/4 cup chopped dried apricots, dates or other fruit (in the summer, fresh stone fruit like peaches, nectarines, or apricots would be great!)
- dressing: champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, OR a combo + olive oil
- optional but recommended: 1 fennel bulb or a bunch of radishes
Instructions:
Note - This recipe is super simple but I do think the chopping makes a difference in the end result of your dish, so I've included detailed instructions on how I like to chop it (and toast nuts) in case they're helpful! See photos below for chopping/toasting visuals.
- Chop cabbage into thin-ish ribbons and add to a large bowl.
- Cabbage chopping details: Remove any dry or damaged leaves from the cabbage if needed. Chop cabbage in half through the stem/stalk. Then place the flat side down on your cutting board, cut in half through the root once again, and then - perpendicular to that cut - chop cabbage into thin-ish ribbons. You can chop around the core when you get to it. Place cabbage ribbons in a large salad bowl, breaking them up with your hand a bit as you go. Keep working until youāve chopped as much as you like, then save any extra cabbage for later.
- If you have time, and for max deliciousness, roast/toast the nuts.
- Roast/toasting nuts details: I usually do this in a hot cast iron pan on medium-high, stirring periodically for about 5-15 minutes until the nuts are fragrant and browned on at least one side. Make sure you keep a close eye on them as they can go from toasted to burned VERY quickly. Alternately you can roast nuts on a dry sheet pan in a 350 oven for 8-15 minutes - also checking frequently to make sure they donāt burn. This will result in more evenly toasted nuts, but I get nervous because I canāt see them! Make sure you use your nose for either of these methods!!
- While nuts are toasting, roughly chop up dried (or fresh) fruit into bite size pieces, add to the salad.
- If using, chop fennel into small bite-size pieces, ideally as thin as possible. Add to salad.
- Fennel chopping details: I chop it similarly to cabbage - first, in half longways through the core, then 1-2 perpendicular chops while itās flat-side down on the cutting board, then slice as thinly as possible till you get to the bottom. Do this for each half. Alternately you could use a veggie peeler or mandolin to get thin shavings.
- Pick off mint leaves and add to the salad as well. I leave them whole but you can chop if you prefer.
- Crumble feta, add to the salad.
- Add toasted nuts when finished, or just raw nuts if you donāt feel like toasting.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper, then add vinegar and oil to taste. Toss well with tongs or your hands to get the cabbage well coated and seasoned. Be sure to taste and adjust the dressing and seasoning. Serve, or let it sit to allow cabbage to absorb the dressing a bit more!
Cabbage chopping details:
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All photos are taken by me and recipes written by me, unless otherwise noted.
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Hi, I'm Jess! I help health-conscious, busy people transform their cooking from chore to lifestyle through intuitive cooking, which I teach through online classes, free content, coaching and more. This is my newsletter, Food for Thought Fridays, where I share highly actionable tips and inspiration to help you cook more intuitively (which makes cooking feel easier and SO much more fun!). Once a month, I share a recipe that's really worth making, and I only share those with my email subscribers. Sometimes the text above may include affiliate links, meaning (at no additional cost to you) I get a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This helps me to continue to share free content, so I would love it if you buy through my link! Thank you for supporting Garlic Press Jess!
I currently work + live on land that is the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone. And I can't wait to eat at Cafe Ohlone! Check out this article about them.
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