Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Sweet and Spicy Slaw

When I see a big, gorgeous, head of red cabbage like the one that was in our CSA box a couple of weeks ago, my first thought is slaw. I just checked, and I’ve posted about slaw almost as many times as I’ve posted about scones, but here’s one more that’s very worth considering for Memorial Day weekend or any summer party. It’s from Plenty, and the recipe is also available online. Like most things from that book, this brings together flavors I might not have thought to combine but that obviously belong with one another. The original recipe name is Sweet Winter Slaw, but since I made it in the spring and for me it’s really about the mix of sweet and spicy, I renamed it. I also made a few changes to the ingredient list based on what I had available. First, rather than mixing Savoy cabbage and red cabbage, I used mostly red cabbage and added some thin julienned pieces of kohlrabi which also came in the CSA box. Next, instead of using mango and papaya strips for the sweet aspect of the dish, I cut thin strips of our first-of-the-season peaches. Other than that, I followed the instructions exactly for the lime juice, lemongrass, maple, and sesame dressing and the sweet-spicy caramelized macadamia nuts. With cabbage, fruit, nuts, chiles, and herbs, this is a slaw that hits all of your taste buds. 

The first step is to make the dressing. Lime juice, a lemongrass stalk from my herb garden, some maple syrup, a little sesame oil, soy sauce, and red chile flakes were simmered in a saucepan until reduced and thickened a bit. That was set aside until cool and then strained into a bowl. Olive oil was whisked into the dressing mixture. Next, the macadamia nuts were toasted in a frying pan before butter was added and melted and then sugar, salt, and more red chile flakes were stirred into the mix. Once the nuts were coated, they were spread on parchment paper to cool before being roughly chopped. For the slaw, I used shredded red cabbage, julienned kohlrabi, strips of peaches, thin slices of chiles, and chopped mint and cilantro leaves. The dressing was drizzled over the slaw, some of the nuts were added, and it was tossed to combine. I saved a few nuts to sprinkle on top after placing the slaw in a serving bowl. 

This is a slaw with a lot of crunch with all those raw vegetables and the nuts. And, the flavors play amazingly well together. The fruit mitigates the bitterness of the cabbage, and the chiles keep the fruit from being too sweet while the sweetness calms some of the heat. It’s all just meant to be. I hope you try it. 

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26 comments:

  1. i just recently got the plenty cookbook! this looks so super delicious, i definitely need to give it a try!

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  2. Splendid! A colorful and exquisite salad. Your slaw is simply amazing!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. I love red cabbage too. It's so pretty. And that's a great looking slaw. There can never be too many slaw recipes xx

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  4. I hate mayo slaw, but this looks delish!

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  5. I just found your blog today, your pictures are stunning. I just made coleslaw this weekend but this looks incredible! I'll definitely be giving it a try! x

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  6. A very crunchy and appetizing slaw!

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  7. Perfect side to a burger (or to eat on its own ;)

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  8. I love playing with slaw! It takes to flavoring so nicely. This looks terrific - thanks so much.

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  9. You slaw sounds and looks fantastic...I love all the variety of textures and flavors...and yes, I love sweet and spicy. Perfect for the Summer.
    Hope you are having a great week Lisa :)

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  10. Red cabbage is delicious and this salad sounds like a nice healthy treat.

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  11. What a beautiful colourful salad. The visual is really important when eating.

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  12. this sounds fantastic and is obviously one of the most colorful and pretty slaws i've ever seen. i'm excited about the addition of peaches most of all!

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  13. Plenty is such a wonderful cookbook! If I had the time, I'd start at the beginning and work my way through it.
    Such a pretty salad, Lisa, with marvelous flavors. Good idea to use the in-season fruit and the crunch of the nuts is the perfect touch.

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  14. We used to called this acar in Indonesia
    i like the way you combine the color and texture too,
    peanut on acar is never failed before!

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  15. One can never have a enough slaw recipes Lisa. And this one looks simply refreshing! Love the peaches too!!!

    Thank you so much for sharing...

    P.S. If you get a chance, drop by my blog. I did a post recently.

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  16. We're really having a slaw revival here in Australia and this version sounds like one that I really have to make! :D

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  17. A superb variation of the mayo heavy classical slaw !I love the addition of peaches and the pictures are so pretty.
    Thank you Lisa :)

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  18. this sounds like a wonderful slaw...I like the sweet and spicy components in it.

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  19. What a beautiful slaw. I love the color and flavor combination here. What a great use of the CSA box. :) Now, I'm craving for some slaw. Can't wait to try it this weekend as you said, these would go so well with BBQ food.

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  20. Ottolenghi has such good recipes doesn't he? A beautiful and delicious way of preparing slaw! Bookmarking!

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  21. I love slaw recipes and this one has to go directly into my "must try" file.

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  22. Lovely, colourful salad and love the combination of ingredients you made.

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  23. Lisa, you just made me think of a cute name for a food blog: Scones and Slaws

    :-)

    now, of course YOU would be the most appropriate hostess for such a site!

    Lovely slaw by the way - I am a little behind reading your blog, life is INCREDIBLY busy (sigh)

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  24. I taught a class in Seattle using recipes from just this book. This dish was the hit of both classes. It's so unexpected and SO GOOD!

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  25. This looks so delicious! I have to try this...perfect for BBQ season. :)

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