Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Tassajara Warm Red Cabbage Salad




  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
 or pine nuts
  • 1 teaspoon natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
  • sea salt or kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 red onion, diced

  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound head of red cabbage/ radicchio/green cabbage quartered and cut into thin ribbons (I use a mix sometimes of what I have)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

  • 2 ounces golden raisins (or other plump, chopped dried fruit)

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

  • 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • Optional: 1/2 to 1 cup of bulgar wheat soaked in water
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Roast the sunflower seeds/pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Sprinkle on the sugar, and a couple pinches of salt. Stir until the sugar melts and coats the seeds in a very hot pan. Transfer the seeds immediately to a plate so they don't stick to the pan. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onion for a minutes or two with a couple pinches of salt. Stir in the garlic, and the cabbage, and a few more pinches of salt. Stir and cook for just a minute or so, or until the cabbage softens up just a touch. Then stir in the rosemary, most of the raisins, and the vinegar. The cabbage will continue to get more and more tender even after you remove it from the heat, soavoid overcooking it - where it collapses completely. Fold in half of the feta cheese, most of the seed or nuts, and all of the bulgar if using....then taste. Season with more salt if needed. Serve garnished with the remaining raisins, feta, seeds/nuts and Parmesan cheese.