Fennel Sesame Slaw
Dutch settlers brought cabbage seeds with them to New Netherland (New York State) more than 400 years ago, growing it all along the Hudson River. They served it in many ways, including koolsla. The word is a combination of the Dutch words for cabbage, kool, and sla, salad; the dish was in print in America by 1785.
Ingredients
- 1 fennel bulb, core discarded, thinly shaved
- 1/4 medium head of fresh cabbage, thinly shaved
- two radishes, thinly sliced and half-mooned
- 1 orange, juice and zest separated
- 3T mayonnaise
- 3T Greek yogurt
- 1T sesame oil
- dash pomegranate molasses (or raw sugar)
- salt and pepper to taste
How-to
Set shaved cabbage in a colander over a sink and sprinkle liberally with rice wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. Let weep and seep for 10 minutes, then rinse.
In a large bowl combine cabbage, fennel, and radishes. Toss with 1/2 the fresh juice and all the zest and allow to marinate for up to an hour.
Pour off liquid. Mix with mayonnaise, yogurt, sesame oil, and molasses. Add back mixture to vegetables. Blend well. season with salt and pepper and top with toasted sesame seeds.
Serves 4-6.
By the 1880s, cabbage and its cousins had fallen from favor with the upper class because of the strong odors these vegetables give off when cooking.
—Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Oxford University Press, 2004
Story Note
The first step in this recipe is visiting your best local organic farmer, in my case Atlas Farm. I stopped by recently and found purple radishes, springy fennel, and fresh cabbage. It made me recall a salad I’d tasted in Sicily, of fennel and oranges and onions.
