Home, Cooking is a sponsored cooking column from ACEnet written by Rebecca Onion, who utilizes local bounty to make fresh meals.
We’re getting so close: Three weeks left of school; three weeks until the opening of the pool. (Actually, it’s three weeks and a day, and three weeks and two days, respectively; the child in this house insists on accuracy on these important matters.) And while some new offerings are filling in around the edges, we still have a few weeks until the full glory of local produce hits. I’m trying to be patient, but it’s hard!
I recently saw Smitten Kitchen recommending, on her Substack, that people use up the round winter soldier that lurks in the crisper drawer, via a recipe for Charred Salt and Vinegar Cabbage, to make room for what’s coming. I’m sure that one’s great, but the read reminded me of another Smitten Kitchen cabbage recipe, from a decade-plus-old cookbook of hers — Emmentaler grilled cheeses with caramelized red onions, which she recommends be served with this slaw. This one has got flavors in common with the dill pickle salads that have become popular over the past few years, but it’s a lot simpler; you might have the ingredients for it in your house right now. I long ago gave up on planning ahead to make special types of grilled cheeses — maybe I’ll get back there someday — but this slaw is still in the rotation.
Crisper-Clearing Green Cabbage Slaw With Dill
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
Ingredients
1 medium head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced or shredded (needs to be green, not red; I just use a chef’s knife to chop it as thin as I can)
1 large seedless or English cucumber sliced in round discs as thinly as possible (we know she means “use a mandoline,” but I’m against them on self-preservation grounds, so I don’t)
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
½ cup white wine vinegar (if you have fancy, like Katz’s, this is a good time to splurge)
1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons sugar
½ cup cold water
Directions
Toss cabbage, cucumber, and dill in a bowl—pick a large one, so you have a lot of room to move it all around. (The mass will diminish in size as it gives in to the wilting action of the dressing.)
Whisk vinegar, salt, sugar together in a smaller bowl. Stir in the water. Pour it over the vegetables and toss it all around.
The first time you’re going to eat it, allow an hour or two for it to meld and wilt; leave it on the counter and toss it a few times over the course of the resting period.
It stays well in the fridge for about a week. Every time you take some out, toss it again, to mix up the flavors.
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