No shrinking violet here. This red cabbage slaw has a pungent kick due to the abundance garlic and anchovies in its dressing. I tamed it down a little by gently heating some of the garlic and melting all of the anchovies in olive oil first. The slightly warm dressing helps to mellow the crisp raw cabbage, which retains its robustness but becomes more palatable. I freshened up the taste with vinegar, a small amount of crushed raw garlic and a big handful of chopped parsley. This keeps well for days and even improves. This is a great salad to perk up dull winter days.

Zesty Red Cabbage Slaw

½ small head of red cabbage

3 cloves garlic, divided (2 and 1)

2 tbsp olive oil

4 anchovies

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Sal and black pepper

Additional olive oil and vinegar to taste

¼ c chopped parsley or more to taste

Slice the cabbage as thin as you can and set it in a bowl. Chop 2 of the garlic cloves and warm them slowly in the olive oil over low heat to mellow them. Mash the anchovies in the pan and stir to combine them well with the oil and garlic. Remove from the heat and pour over the cabbage, stirring to coat the slices leaves. Add the red wine vinegar and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes or so to relax it. Crush the remaining clove of garlic in a garlic press and stir into the salad. Add pepper and more olive oil and vinegar to taste. It probably won’t need salt because of the anchovies, but that it up to you. Add a big handful of parsley, at least ¼ cup, right before serving. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator and even improve in texture and flavor.

Serves 4.

Categories: Cabbage, SaladTags: Red cabbage