Week 5: Celebrating with Slaws
Welcome to Week 5! After the harsh late frost and playing catch up, the summer fields are starting to show up on the CSA table. We have the first of cucumbers, carrots and eggplant! It is a short but special time when we have both bountiful spring produce and early summer produce. Enjoy spring fade away and summer unfold at your dining table. We always have so much to celebrate. With the trifecta celebration weekend of Juneteenth (6/19/20), summer solstice (6/20/20), and Father’s Day (6/21/20) paired with the upcoming July 4th holiday, celebration is all around us! Celebrate [safely] together, celebrate in each other and each other’s special days.
What makes a slaw anyways? A slaw is simply a shredded or chopped salad of raw vegetables, coated in a vinegar-based dressing. If the dressing isn’t mostly vinegar, it’s mayonnaise. But mayonnaise contains either vinegar or lemon juice and provides the same acidic purpose. Coleslaw means that the vegetables are primarily cabbage. Slaw without the ‘cole’ can feature any crunchy vegetable in place of cabbage, including shredded kohlrabi, carrots, beets and more.
Try some of these wonderful recipes and enjoy this week's post, Celebrating with Slaws!
Extra credit: Make yourself a small batch of refrigerator pickles (2019 Week 4)!
CIDER AND HONEY KOHLRABI SLAW WITH CHARD
2 medium kohlrabi (about 1 ¼ pounds), peeled
2 medium carrots
2 chard leaves with stem and rib removed, thinly sliced
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp celery seeds
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
Whisk vinegar, honey, mustard, celery seeds, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until combined.
Use a box grater or a food processor fitted with a shredding disk to coarsely shred kohlrabi and carrots. Add the vegetables to the bowl and toss well to combine.
Sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
Notes: Serves 8. Add seeds just before serving so they stay crunchy.
NOT YOUR MAMA’S COLESLAW
1 cup mayonnaise (2019 Week 46)
1 cup yogurt
¼ cup Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp whole grain mustard
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp celery seed
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1.5 cups crumbled blue cheese (optional)
1 small head of green cabbage
1 large carrot or 4 small ones (about 6 ounces), shredded
1 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 cup slivered kale leaves
Make the dressing: Mix the mayonnaise, mustards, vinegar, celery seed, salt, and pepper in a smaller bowl. Stir in blue cheese, if using.
Prepare the vegetables: Halve the cabbage and cut out the cores. Slice the cabbage as thinly as you can with a sharp knife, on a mandoline, or with a food processor’s slicing blade (lay the cabbage horizontally in the feed tube). Transfer chopped cabbage into a large bowl, fishing out any very large pieces and slicing them thinly by hand. Stir in the shredded carrot. If you’re going to dress this later, this is the best stopping point.
To serve: Up to an hour before you’ll eat the slaw, toss the cabbage mixture with dressing to taste –- you will want to start with half and add more as needed — and parsley. Adjust seasonings as needed.
Note: Serves 8-10. This makes too much dressing for this quantity of salad, but it keeps well and also makes an awesome dip for crudités.
BEET AND CARROT SLAW
3-4 beets, peeled
3-4 carrots, peeled
1-2 tart apples
Red onion
Slivered almonds (optional)
Sunflower seeds (optional)
Scallions (optional)
Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Spicy mustard
Black pepper
Grate beets and carrots, mix together.
Sliver apple and add to taste.
Finely dice red onions and mix.
Add optional ingredients if using.
Whisk together dressing (equal parts oil and vinegar, mustard to taste). Pour over slaw. Serve!
Notes: Recipe courtesy of Mo Moutoux
