3 slaws that slay

Curtido should preferably be made at least a few hours ahead and keeps for 2 weeks.

Sometimes I feel the need for a different kind of coleslaw. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a well-executed standard mayo-based slaw dressing, but sometimes I want the slaw to do a bit more work as part of an overall menu, delivering both a good solid crunch factor and some added what's-it in a way that the more mild-mannered versions don't. 

While coleslaw might most often be thought of as a summer cookout side dish, I think it really shines the most in late winter, when we haven't seen a truly decent green salad for months. Then cabbage, kale and other sturdy carriers for dressing fill that void, with the added bonus that cabbage is open to a lot of different flavor combinations. Here are three to try:

Curtido

Adapted from Food & Wine May 2023 issue. The recipe is credited to Evelyn Garcia of Jūn in Houston. This slaw was a topping for pupusas, and would work in other sandwich/wrap usages. I just served it as a side with a sturdy soup.

Ingredients

4 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup shredded carrot
1 medium jalapeño chile, sliced (or I used 1 tablespoon sliced pickled jalapeños)

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro stems, plus leaves for garnish
1 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fine sea salt

Method

Toss together cabbage, onion, carrot and jalapeño in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and poor hot vinegar over cabbage mixture. Combine well, cover and chill at least an hour, and preferably overnight. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Rating: This one will make you pucker up. It actually provided a nice bright flavor contrast to an Italian sausage soup served with cornbread. I don't think I'd make it again as a serve-alone slaw because a little goes a long way with that sharp vinegar, but if you cut the recipe in half and use it as a relish, it definitely has merit. 

 

Napa cabbage slaw

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens July/August 2024 issue, although I can't find the original recipe on their site to link to, where it was served as a side for a pork dish. Serves 6-ish.

Ingredients

5 cups shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup sliced yellow pepper strips
½ cup shredded carrot
½ cup snap peas, chopped on the diagonal (or slivered snow pea pods)
¼ cup chopped green onion
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
¼ salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Method

Combine cabbage, pepper strips, carrot, snap peas and onion in a large serving bowl.

Whisk together vinegar, oils, tamari and salt and pepper. Drizzle over slaw mixture and toss to distribute dressing.

Rating: Colorful, crunchy and with a snappy dressing. It was a nice contrast to a bowl of chili.

Leftover factor: While the Napa cabbage is fairly sturdy, I wouldn't count on making this a day ahead without it losing at least a bit of its crunch. But you could certainly assemble the slaw parts and dressing separately and then toss them closer to serving time. It's not like it instantly wilts or anything like that, so I imagine a hour ahead of serving would still be just dandy. I was struck by how well this slaw would do on a chicken/bean wrap, so I suspect it has other uses.

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Kaleslaw

Adapted from "Fifty Shades of Kale" by Dr. Drew Ramsey and Jennifer Iserloh. Serves 8 quite readily.

Ingredients
1 bunch dinosaur kale or a mixture of kinds of kale, stems removed, about 10 cups chopped
1 red, orange or yellow pepper sliced thinly or a mix thereof
6 grated carrots (I used a mix of the tri-colored snacking carrots for extra color
1½ Kale-onaise (see recipe below)

Method
Combine chopped kale, sliced pepper and carrots in a large bowl. Toss with dressing and chill for at least an hour before serving or overnight to give it time to break down the kale a bit.

Kale-onnaise

2 cups chopped packed kale
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

In a food processor blend kale, salt and garlic until finely chopped. Add mayo and lemon zest and juice and process until smooth.

Rating: The salad is fine enough, but the dressing is one of those that you could inhale. It has a very bright, fresh flavor that tastes of sunnier days. It works well on the salad, as a sandwich spread, pretty much anything you can think of. It does not taste particularly kaley, so it's a great way to use up part of a bunch of kale before it eventually wilts. This usage is a keeper.

Leftover factor: Even kale will start to lose a tad bit of its sturdiness in the face of being in dressing for a few days. It was still OK enough the second day, but I think if I were do it again I would have tossed in some chickpeas with the leftovers and put it over leftover grains for a grain bowl treatment.