Ottolenghi’s Cabbage and Kohlrabi Salad

Delicious rejects.

It is getting close to the actual barbecue, and I am still trying out new recipes.

I honestly thought I had a winning recipe here.

You have your typical coleslaw with a vinaigrette, and then you have this coleslaw on a Middle/Eastern/European kick. First, slivered green cabbage, much loved by the Poles, is lovingly infiltrated by kohlrabi. I really enjoyed the crisp, slightly sweet julienned kohlrabi which was a perfect match to the cabbage. If you don’t have any kohlrabi, just increase the cabbage. If you have kohlrabi, make it into a slaw, as you won’t be disappointed.

Next, we have a lemony vinaigrette, which I much prefer to a creamy dressing any day. Spiced with dill, we have the Eastern European flavour palate going again. Sprouts are added for more mouth feel.

But then Ottolenghi adds the wonderful finale, his Middle Eastern flair, the best twist to the mix: dried tart cherries.

Since it is cherry season in Ontario, I tried the salad with both fresh and dried cherries, and the latter are definitely the winner. Which means everyone wins, because then this becomes a year-round salad. I also decreased the amount of dressing while adding in more vinegar, increased the sprouts and substituted some dill seeds since I didn’t have enough fresh dill.

However, despite how much I loved this salad, and figured it played with the perfect palate for feeding Rob’s Polish family (cabbage, lemon, DILL), he vetoed the salad. Poof! Just like that, it disappeared from the menu.

Their loss is my gain, because I have been eating this salad all week and pretty content that I don’t have to share it with anyone. 🙂

The sad part is that I am still wondering what kind of salad to make for the Poles… 😛

This is my submission to Deb for this week’s Souper Sundays, and to this month’s Simple and in Season and to Ricki’s new Summer Wellness Weekends.

Ottolenghi’s Cabbage and Kohlrabi Salad

300g green cabbage (1/4 head), thinly sliced
300g kohlrabi (1 medium-large head), peeled and julienned
6 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped (I didn’t have enough fresh dill, so I threw in some dried dill weed)
1 cup dried cherries
zest and juice of 1 lemon (3 tbsp fresh lemon juice)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
100g sprouts (alfalfa works but others are great too! I used a mix of lentil, alfalfa, radish, etc) – reserve some for garnish
1 tsp salt, or to taste
fresh pepper, to taste

1. Mix together the chopped cabgage, kohlrabi, dill, cherries, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, oil and garlic. Massage everything together for a few minutes to allow the flavours to meld and to soften the cabbage and cherries. Let the salad sit for 10 minutes.

2. Add the sprouts, salt and pepper, and adjust to taste.

3. Garnish with reserved sprouts and serve at room temperature.

Serves 4.