Cabbage salad recipe - coleslaw recipes for picnics
Traditional picnic food and a great way to get people to eat cabbage!
Cabbage often gets bad press but eaten raw in a cabbage salad recipe or coleslaw (or sometimes called cold slaw recipe) it can help to detoxify the liver and combat arthritis. Red cabbage is also rich in Vitamin C and cancer protective phyto-nutrients and anthocyanins.
Coleslaw recipes are numerous and varied - but all of them should really contain cabbage because the term arose in the 18th century as a partial translation from the Dutch word "koolsla", a shortening of "koolsalade", which means "cabbage salad".
It's a great way to get the children (and some adults!) to eat cabbage and other vegetables. They'll happily tuck into this crunchy raw mixture as a side dish for fried chicken or other picnic delights.
A food processor is a real boon for this because there is so much chopping to do - especially if you're making it for a crowd.
I'm going to presume you know that you either have to chop, grate, shred or cut the vegetables into thin slices or strips - with or without a food processor.
Traditionally the vegetables are mixed with a vinagrette dressing but nowadays you'll often find mayonnaise as the binding ingredient. (Mayonnaise is not so good for a hot weather picnic, however, as it can spoil unless you keep it cool).
So let's go!
Mix 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar.
Use this to dress:
a mild onion
half a small white (or red) cabbage
2 medium carrots
a tablespoon of sultanas
a tablespoon of chopped walnuts
Scatter some freshly chopped parsley or pumpkin seeds over the top.
If you prefer you can add some thick natural yoghurt to the dressing - or, as mentioned above, some mayonnaise. Creme fraiche added to mayo is good too. Think 3 tablespoons of creme fraiche, 2 of mayo plus one of extra-virgin olive oil.
You can also add an apple or a couple of sticks of celery to the cabbage salad recipe. Beetroot is also an option and will turn the mixture a pretty pink.
Spring onions can be used instead of an onion and this will appeal to many as the taste is less harsh.
Think about using different nuts and seeds as well. How about caraway seeds for instance? - a traditional cabbage accompaniment.
Or for a cabbage salad recipe with a tiny bit of a kick, omit the fruit and nuts and add a bunch of sliced radishes. The colour adds to the mix too.
Or how about a chilli slaw? Add 3 or 4 deseeded and finely sliced big red chillis and 2 carrots to about a quarter of a cabbage (white or even a green pointed one) for a salad recipe with a zing. Some lime zest and juice added to the dressing freshens it up too. (use the creme fraiche mix above for good results.)
Nigella Lawson makes a good coleslaw using pecan nuts and she adds a little maple syrup to the dressing to enhance the flavour of the nuts.
