I made Tangy Cabbage Salad and Peach Crisp!

I went to the greenmarket on Saturday with a vague idea of 'slaw' in my head and I bought a cabbage (as well as numerous other non-slaw vegetables). I found this "Tangy Shredded Cabbage Salad" recipe on Smitten Kitchen, which she "adapted from Ruta Kahate via SFGate.com, 6/8/07". It's very simple and tasty; I think it would be good at a picnic.

Below is the original recipe with my notes. I also added diced kohlrabi and chick peas because I had them on hand and I thought they'd blend well. I bought kohlrabi last week because it looked interesting and then didn't know what to do with it, but I found a recipe similar to this one using kohlrabi instead of cabbage, so I threw it in. It added a nice crunch to this dish.


2 cups shredded green cabbage (The recipe suggests using the large holes of a grater. I used one at first but found that it took a really long time and I resorted to finely chopping the cabbage with a knife. Maybe your box grater is better than mine though...)
1 small serrano chile, minced (I used a jalapeno)
2 TBS lemon juice
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp sugar
1 TBS canola oil
1/2 Tsp mustard seeds

In a medium bowl, toss together the cabbage, chile, lemon juice, salt and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You are looking for a well-balanced, sweet and sour taste.

Heat the oil in a small skillet or butter warmer over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid or splatter screen. When seeds top popping, immediately pour the oil over the cabbage salad and toss well. Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to blossom.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

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Now onto peach crisp!

Peach crisp is great for summer when you want a fruit dessert, but don't feel like committing to making pie crust. You can also use nectarines, or other stone fruit. In the fall and winter you can use apples and I highly recommend it. This is the recipe my mom uses, and she would always make this in the summer when we vacationed in Vermont. She lessens the amount of sugar (to about 1 cup) and butter (8-10 TBS) and so do I.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup flour
12 TBS butter
6 to 8 peaches, about 3 pounds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
grated rind of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon


Preheat oven to 375. Combine the sugar, flour, and butter in a mixing bowl and mix well with the fingers. Set aside. Peel and quarter peaches. Cut into thin slices. Blend cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle over peaches. Sprinkle with lemon rind. Add lemon juice and toss to blend. Arrangethe slices in a not too shallow baking dish. Cover with the butter and sugar mixture, smoothing it over. Place the dish in the oven. Bake for one hour.