This recipe I am sharing today is one that was a popular one with the ladies when I worked at the Manor. That is not much of a surprise as it is filled with an abundance of fresh flavours and a variety of crunchy textures! Its also very colourful, at least on the first day at any rate. It does tend to become singularly coloured with the red cabbage if left overnight, although the flavours are still really nice.
There are two kind of cabbage . . . crisp white cabbage, (also known as green in some places) and bright purple/red cabbage. Grated orange carrots . . . sharp thinly sliced spring onions, along with coriander leaf and chopped dry roasted peanuts complete the salad mix.
The dressing is a lovely mix of Asian flavours . . . rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, toasted sesame, gingerroot and garlic, whisked together with Dijon mustard (for sharpness) and a mild flavoured oil.
The dry roasted peanuts add another different texture and a hint of saltiness that goes very well with everything else.
The coriander (cilantro) leaf also adds colour and a hint of asian flavour that is very much at home in the mix.
The original recipe came from a Junior League cookbook called "The Life of the Party." My boss always loved the Junior League Cookbooks. I confess, I always liked reading hers and did photocopy a few recipes from out of them.
I also love Community Cookbooks, filled with everyone's favourite recipes. You can find a few gems in those as well. The more I look through cookbooks, and recipes collected through the ages, the more I realise that there is really nothing new under the sun, only new ways of doing things . . . and fresher ingredients. We are so very blessed in these modern times to have ingredients available to us that our mothers could only dream of.
*Asian Slaw*
Makes 6-8 servings
For the dressing:
3 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS Dijon mustard
180ml canola or peanut oil (3/4 cup)
2 TBS soy sauce (I like the dark)
1 TBS honey
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp minced fresh gingerroot
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To garnish:
additional chopped peanuts and coriander leaf
Place both cabbages, carrot and spring onions into a large bowl. Pour the dressing over top and toss to coat. Add the peanuts and coriander leaf and toss again. Once again taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Cover and chill until you are ready to serve. Scatter additional chopped peanuts and coriander leaf on top just prior to serving.
Left overnight, this becomes a delicious pickle that is great on sandwiches or with cold meats. In any case, I am well happy to be coming into Spring when our food will start becoming lighter and fresher, for a time anyways! Bon Appetit!
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