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Prep time
10 minutes
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Serves
6-8 as a side dish
Author Notes
The goal is to shred or dice the ingredients as finely as possible: paper thin shavings of cabbage, tiny dice of peppers make a delicately textured, tart salad that is a delicious foil to roast chicken, fish dishes, grilled meats, sausages, barbecue, or sandwiches. It can accompany a vegetarian entrées like crispy seasoned fried tempeh. It can be altered according to what you have in the house or what's available at the market: parsley in place of cilantro, scallion or shallot in place of onion, and tomatoes instead of peppers, or additions such as thinly sliced cucumbers or radishes will all make a brightly colored, flavorful dish. —creamtea
Ingredients
- For the salad
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2/3
medium head of cabbage
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1
red bell pepper
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1
yellow bell pepper
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1/4
finely minced sweet onion,such as Vidalia
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2 tablespoons
very finely minced fresh cilantro or parsley
- for the dressing
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juice of
1 lemon or lime
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2
small cloves garlic, minced and mashed with a pinch of salt
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1/3 cup
olive oil
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salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- For the salad
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Shred the cabbage--the thinner, the better. You really want the thinnest shavings possible. Place a heavy cutting board at the left edge of the kitchen sink so that the edge of the board aligns with the sink edge. Place a large bowl inside the sink and below the board, so that as you cut, you can sweep the shavings right into the bowl. Place a washed and dried wedge of cabbage on the board, and with a VERY sharp knife, make light, forward-moving cuts. You don't need to cut through to the board each time, just make partial cuts so you can gauge the fineness of each shave. Not as difficult as it sounds, and you'll soon get the hang of it. It helps to toggle the wedge of cabbage slightly after several cuts as you go to get a new angle; it's easier to get a thin cut when you have a somewhat smaller surface to work with. Periodically sweep the cabbage shavings into the bowl.
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Cut the stem end and the bottom end off the peppers and seed them. Remove the ribs and slice into very thin strips. Cut the strips into dice. Add to the bowl.
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Add the minced onion and cilantro into the cabbage mixture and toss gently.
- for the dressing
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In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and garlic. Add salt and a few grinds of pepper to taste and stir. Add the olive oil in a stream, beating with a whisk or fork, until emulsified.
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Just before serving, drizzle the salad with the dressing. Toss to coat, taste and adjust seasoning.
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