Recipe by Hanna Geller of Building Feasts
Slaw is the hidden gift of the holiday table. Contrary to popular belief, I think a salad is an essential part of any festive feast. It brings a welcome crunch and brightness to the plate, a kind of palate cleanser, to what can otherwise be a fairly rich spread.
The gift is not only in the crisp flavour and vivid colour, but this slaw can also be prepped a good few hours in advance and kept under a damp paper towel, sealed in the fridge until you are ready. It’s also robust enough to be dressed for a little while without wilting, making it ideal for a crowd where timings have a tendency to be a little flexible.
The dressing here is light and tangy, avoiding the more traditional mayonnaise-y versions. The shallots are lightly pickled in the vinegar for a few minutes before adding the remaining ingredients adding a little zing into the mix.
While the colours here reflect the season, slaw should not only be reserved for winter feats. It’s a quintessential part of any BBQ spread or summer picnic - basically your all year round crunch solution.
Ingredients
For the Slaw
1/2 small red cabbage
1/2 savoy cabbage or pointed green cabbage
1/2 medium kohlrabi
A handful of radishes
2 spring onions, thinly sliced (optional)
100g roasted pecans
50g dried sour cherries
A shrinking of chopped chives
Optional extras
Fresh herbs - mint, coriander, rocket
Grated apple
Orange or blood orange segments
Sliced fennel
Shredded carrots
For the dressing
1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rounds (or chopped)
80ml rice wine vinegar
1tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp maple syrup (or honey)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
160ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
Start by making the dressing. This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks so feel free to make it to have on hand to use on any salads, including this one. (Also allows you to make it ahead and cross one thing off the prep list).
Allow the sliced (or finely chopped) shallot to sit in the rice vinegar for 15 minutes to allow the onion flavour to mellow.
Add the lemon juice, mustard and mix together and slowly whisk in the olive oil until everything is emulsified together.
Make the slaw.
Slice the red cabbage first either on a mandolin, with a sharp knife or with the slicing blade on a food processor and place in the bottom of the bowl. Slice the savoy cabbage, peel the kohlrabi and either grate on the large holes of a box grater or cut into matchsticks (my preference for texture). Slice the radishes, preferably on a mandolin and the spring onions by hand (if using) making sure you include all the green parts too (they are deliciously mellow).
Make sure you do not mix everything together until you dress the salad so that the red cabbage does not bleed into the other ingredients.
If you are making this a few hours in advance (or even the day before), dampen a double layer of paper towels well and wring them out. Gently place them on top of the slaw, cover tightly and put it in the fridge until you are ready.
Before dressing the salad, sprinkle over the toasted pecans, the dried sour cherries and the chives.
Dress and toss well so that everything is coated. You probably won’t need all the dressing so pour carefully and add more as needed. Dress it a few minutes before serving so the flavours have time to hang out a little together.
