Is It Slaw Season Yet?

This past weekend for Zander’s birthday, we decided to make little burgers.  They were the size of sliders, but I hesitate to totally call them sliders, because they weren’t cooked in copious amounts of grease or anything.  We bought small rolls to make the perfect kid-size burgers, and then shaped several pounds of ground chuck into burgers.  80/20 fat content, my friends, makes the best burgers, hands down.  It warmed up just enough that Andy decided to whip out the grill for the first time in months.  OMG, it must have been just long enough, because these burgers were spectacular, yet there really wasn’t anything special about them.

But what was special, was the slaw I’d decided to serve on the side.    This was another recipe that literally leaped off the pages of my new Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook.   Savoy Cabbage and Radicchio Slaw with Blood Orange Dressing just sounded so delicious and refreshing, I had to give it a try.  It’s been a while since I had trouble finding ingredients for something, so I guess it was time.  My regular shopping haunt didn’t have savoy cabbage, radicchio or blood orange juice.  I decided to sub in Naked Juice’s Pomegranate Acai Juice instead of the blood orange juice, but I had to hunt down radicchio and cabbage.  Another store had the radicchio, but no savoy cabbage.  I debated back and forth between regular green cabbage and napa cabbage before deciding to use the less expensive regular green.

The slaw then came together quickly and easily.  The first handful of ingredients were the dressing, so I whisked those together, seasoned with salt and pepper, and thought it was quite delicious.  It wasn’t quite as light as I was hoping for, and the next time I make this, I may just try yogurt in the dressing instead of the mayo. Oh, and I didn’t have a shallot, so I just used a few tablespoons of finely chopped onion.  Don’t skip this part- it’s the onion that totally made the dressing.

For the slaw, I used the radicchio, cabbage, orange bell pepper strips since they were on sale, the dried cranberries (plus a few extra) and then at the end, I really thought the slaw would benefit with the addition of some sunflower seeds.  A quick rummage through the pantry confirmed that I was out, so instead I used a handful of salted pistachios which I roughly chopped.  Bingo.

This slaw was spectacular! Everyone loved it.  The combination of flavors was perfect.  Slightly bitter from the radicchio, but far less bite than regular slaw since it used far less cabbage.  The craisins and pistachios were inspired and added a nice sweetness and crunch, respectively.  While I’m sure this would be wonderful with the blood orange juice, I know that season has a very small window, and the pomegranate was an excellent substitution.  I will be making this slaw again and again.  Maybe even this week, as I still have cabbage and a head of radicchio.  Or maybe I’ll roast that radicchio for something really different…

Savoy Cabbage and Radicchio Slaw with Blood Orange Dressing

6        tablespoons  fresh blood orange juice

1 1/2      teaspoons  rice vinegar

1           teaspoon  honey

1/4           cup  olive oil

1/4           cup  mayonnaise

1 1/2    tablespoons  chopped shallot

1        1 1/4 pound  savoy cabbage — halved, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 1/2          pound  head of radicchio — halved, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1              large  red bell pepper — sliced

1/2           cup  dried cranberries

Directions:
Whisk juice, vinegar, and honey in bowl. Whisk in oil, then mayonnaise and shallot. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into jar with lid; chill 2 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Place cabbage, radicchio, and bell pepper in large bowl. Just before serving, shake dressing well and pour over vegetables; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle dried cranberries over.