Red Cabbage & Parsley Slaw

I thought this would be a bit ho-hum, but it was actually delightful! Maybe it was just that it used the first bits of parsley that I was able to scrounge out of the garden in between snow squalls, along with a parsnip so fresh and alive it didn't even know it was out of the garden; but mixed in with (someone else's, alas) good red cabbage, this was so tangy and crunchy and lively and exactly what I was craving.

I'd have liked lemon juice on it but what I had was some good white wine vinegar, and it was better than fine. The sunflower seed oil was a cold-pressed unrefined one from a farm near Ottawa, and it was perfect for this. You could toss in a few toasted sunflower seeds, or walnut bits if you had them and wanted them, but I liked this perfectly well without them. 

4 servings
15 minutes prep time

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped or grated parsnip (1 medium small)
OR same of celeriac
1 cup finely grated red cabbage
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar OR lemon juice
2 tablespoons sunflower seed oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash and pick over the parsley, removing any tough stems and yellowed or wilted leaves. Chop it finely. Scrub or peel and grate the parsnip, or peel and grate the celeriac. Trim and grate the cabbage. Toss them in a small salad bowl with the vinegar or lemon juice, sunflower seed oil, and a bit of salt and pepper... that's it!

This can be made a little before mealtime, and leftovers, if covered well, don't actually keep too badly for a day or so in the fridge. 

Posted in: Ontario Food