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| Pear, Purple Cauliflower, Walnut & Savoy Cabbage Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette |
As I look out my kitchen window this morning as I sit writing this blog and enjoying the lingering scent of sourdough pancakes and the energy in my legs after my morning run, I’m forced to accept the fact that Winter is coming. It’s snowing out there.
Sure, the flakes are light and few and scattered; they won’t stick. And the trees I see both near my apartment and across the sea are still full of their glorious Fall colors: mostly yellows, some oranges, and a smattering of red among the steady green of the pine and fir trees. But the ground is now covered with leaves carrying those same bright colors, meaning that the beauty is fleeting and this colorful season is slowly decaying under the steady onset of the much colder one.
There is never a year when I embrace Winter. It’s gotten easier for me as I’ve come to mostly understand what is waiting around the corner as the darkness descends and the temperatures drop, but I never really love it. It’s not the darkness that bothers me; it’s the cold. The seemingly endless days of subzero temperatures sometimes combined with howling winds make me want to duck my head down, head back indoors, and snuggle in under a warm down blanket until the whole thing blows over.
But when you live in a place where long, cold, dark winters are inevitable, hunkering down for the duration of it is not really an option. So I am learning to take a deep breath, make some satisfying food, connect with friends, buy a warmer hat, coat, gloves, boots. Learn to cross country ski! Ah…but thankfully, not yet. It’s just a little snow, and it won’t stick. There are still at least a few days ahead for hikes and runs through the woods, leaves crunching underfoot, and mushrooms to be found. There are still days where the wind blowing through my hair doesn’t have a bitter freezing chill. And then there are the dense, satisfying foods of late Fall and Winter that pull us through.
When I bought a giant head of Savoy Cabbage from the Slow Food Farmer’s Market in Fiskars, I had no idea how much mileage I was going to get out of it. Cabbage has a long shelf life if refrigerated properly, so mine is as crisp and sweet now as it was the day I bought it. As I get closer and closer to the center of the cabbage, the color of the leaves gets lighter and (maybe I’m imagining this) even sweeter.
So after putting cabbage into a fall salad with apple, and into a casserole with curry and chicken, I am still left with a sizable piece. The first salad was so delicious that I decided to make another one, using the theme of winter produce, but pairing it with a sweet-tangy raspberry vinaigrette, and rounding it out with toasted walnuts.
This is a simple to make and a delight to eat – crunchy, flavorful, and satisfying. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
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| Pear, Purple Cauliflower, Walnut & Savoy Cabbage Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette |
Pear, Purple Cauliflower, Walnut & Savoy Cabbage Salad
with Raspberry Vinaigrette
1. Make the Raspberry Vinaigrette
In a small glass jar with a lid, combine and shake well:
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
4 tablespoons quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or you could use liquid honey instead)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Set the mixture aside to allow the ingredients to meld while you make the salad.
2. Assemble the salad
In a bowl combine:
1.5 cups of thinly sliced Savoy Cabbage
1 cup purple cauliflower (or you could use green or white cauliflower too)
1 large pear, peeled, cored and diced; reserve a few slices for garnish
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted; reserve a tablespoon for garnish*
Pour the Raspberry Vinaigrette over the salad and toss with clean hands to combine thoroughly. Top with a few slices of pear and a sprinkling of walnuts.
Serves 4 as a side salad or 2 as a main course.
*I find the easiest way to toast walnuts is in a heavy-bottomed frying pan, preferably cast-iron. Heat the pan over medium high heat. Chop or crush the walnuts and pour them into the hot pan. Shake the pan or stir the walnuts frequently so they don’t burn, and toast them until they are lightly browned an fragrant. Pour them out of the pan and onto a plate, and proceed with the recipe above.