It’s Memorial Day weekend and the grills are hot. So is the muggy Texas weather! I had an unexpected day off at the restaurant-on-a-farm and we squeezed in an impromptu get-together with a few pals. As a group, our homemade menu included salmon burgers and mango-cucumber salsa, local beef hot dogs (made by the new butcher shop, Salt and Time) topped with spicy mustard, minced onions and daikon pickles, red potato salad with bacon, capers and arugula, homemade root veggie chips fried in Dai Due lard with onion-sour cream dip, and my crunchy cabbage slaw. Plus some nice bourbon-based cocktails. Bocci ball was played, but no one kept score since our dog’s tomfoolery got in the way. She really wants to play fetch with the bocci balls; alas, they are heavier than tennis balls.
So the deal with this cabbage slaw is that the cabbage itself is not all that crunchy. Raw cabbage is terribly difficult to digest and eating a lot of raw brassicas veggies may contribute to thyroid disruption. The solution I’ve find for ‘coleslaw’ then, is to shred the cabbage a bit thicker (about ¼-inch thick) and let it soak in a hot salt water brine and strain before mixing in the other ingredients. This cooks the cabbage just enough and it still has some bite. A little raw carrot and crispy sunflower seeds adds some crunch back in. The slaw is bright and pairs well with smoky meats, pasture-raised of course. Stock up on cabbage before they’re out of farmers’ markets stands ‘til next year.
Looks delicious!! I definitely am making for my next get together.
Thanks, Dorian! Let me know how it turns out!