Summer Slaw
I'm pondering all those fantastic responses to the declaration of independence post. If you haven't read through them, don't miss them here. (And thanks to everyone who has emailed me as well! It's all fodder for a new discussion, coming soon.)
Still and all, those responses at the end of the post are an excellent discussion with great honesty on the part of many--and some snarkiness, to boot.
You know I love the snark. You can't be a Southern guy lost in New England without loving the snark.
Anyway, I thought I'd take a break from thinking about all that to offer a recipe for a quick, all-vegetable slaw: all raw, no-cook, and perfect for these hot days that have descended like a scratchy wool sweater on us up here in the land of the Puritans.
This isn't going to be a recipe exactly. Rather, it's a recipe concept that you can adapt at will. So let's get to it.
Start with several summery vegetables. For Bruce and me, a two-serving affair, I choose a few carrots, a couple radishes, a small turnip, a scallion, and a kohlrabi.
Kohlrabi? Indeed. That's that big, gnarly, green veggie in the picture. If you're not onto kohlrabi, you should be. It's a member of the cabbage family. (It's name is something like "cabbage turnip" in German). It tastes like a cross between a radish and an apple--sweet but a little peppery, quite refreshing, and a favorite in northern Europe. It's sometimes cooked in a cream sauce, but it can be eaten raw.
Which goes for turnips as well. They can be eaten raw--particularly small, young ones, early in the summer. One or two is ridiculously snappy in this slaw.
Mince the scallion. (I used about half of one because, well, they tend to repeat on me). Then peel the carrots, turnips, and kohlrabi. (The kohlrabi is tough--use a knife if it's easier.) Run all of them plus those peppery radishes over the large holes of a box grater to produce slawy threads.
It's best to put the grater right in the bowl, then grate everything into the bowl as you go.
There's not much left to do. Add some lemon juice. I used about half a lemon for that many vegetables. Then dollop in some mayonnaise and mustard. I used about 1/4 cup light mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. I don't like it too saucy--I want more of the raw taste in the summer. But you can always goop it up at will.
Finally, add a little salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Slaw's on!
And it's on now! Because once you add the lemon juice and the salt, those veggies will start to weep, making a watery slaw. So don't waste a second. Dig in. You'll want to. I promise.
carrot, carrot slaw, kohlrabi, radish slaw, radishes, raw slaw, real food, slaw, summer slaw
Reader Comments (3)
This sounds fantastic- and I was wondering what to do with all the kohlrabi I planted in my garden this year- thanks.
I just polished off the cole slaw I made on Monday (to go with a slow cooker pulled chicken - that was GOOD). All from the CSA: cabbage, carrots, and Red Torpedo Onions (what a great name). Vinegar, sugar, mustard, and mayo. I should have thrown in the turnips - we have way too many! But that kohrabi, I love that too much by itself to put into slaw.
Everything thrown into the food processor on "shred", and voila! a great slaw to heap on your pulled chicken. A perfect summer meal. Keep those good ideas coming!
simply delicious -- and a perfect solution for consuming the week's csa haul. thanks for the suggestion. we had ours with roasted chicken & corn on the cob.