A very red cabbage salad
Missing my weekly shop at The Farmers’ Market today as I’m in Nottingham in the UK taking veggie teen to an interview. It’s bloomin’ freezing and despite my thermals and multiple layers, the blissful balminess of Dubai winter is beckoning me back.
It’s been a strange start to the year with so many well-known names shuttling off this mortal coil. David Bowie’s death had a profound effect, as he was so much part of my teens. I wasn’t prepared for how sad I’d feel about someone I didn’t know. When Elvis died, as a callow youth I couldn’t understand the fuss about the demise of an old has-been (as he was in my eyes at that time). I wonder if teens now are thinking the same or even know who he was. Veggie teen says some of her friends couldn’t name even one song of his.
His death has provoked such wide ranging reportage from the role of education, the liberating effect his ground-breaking chameleon-like image had on people, the music that he inspired, his discipline, work ethic, his generosity and business nous and even his role in changing the way people think about dying. For me it opened up a treasure chest of memories and feelings which had been buried for a few decades. Farewell to the thin, white duke.
Did you make any resolutions for January? Dry January seems to be a big thing this year – even Helen of the Knackered Mother’s Wine Club is doing it. This article why you should or should not go cold turkey for a month is worth reading. I’ve opted for glass of wine now and then, but I’ll report back on my month of vegetarianism once it’s over – so far so good. I’ve definitely been eating lighter which is no bad thing after the total over-indulgence of Christmas. The sparklingly fresh local, organic veg from the market makes it easy and I’m always tempted to buy a little bit too much so I’m cramming veg into everything.
We get a box delivered once a week by Fruitful day, with some whole fruit, some ready prepared. There have been lots of pomegranate seeds of late so I’ve been scattering them into all sorts of things from smoothies to salads.
This recipe is for a good-tempered salad that will sit in the fridge without wilting ready to be dipped into whenever hunger pangs strike (and my downfall, a yearning for crisps). All the red things in this salad, which happened to be in my fridge, just seemed to go together.
The real game changer here is to use argan oil. You may have heard of this in beauty products but it’s an amazing ingredient in the kitchen too. Not all argan oil is equal though and you have to buy a good one. My friend Dana introduced me to this elusively light and nutty tasting oil famed for its health giving properties. She sources the oil for Arganic direct from Berber women in Morocco and works with them directly to ensure the quality is top notch. You can buy Arganic from Jones the Grocer here in Dubai and she’s just started supplying to M&S in the UK.
Red cabbage, pomegranate and argan oil salad
Ingredients
- 1 small red cabbage
- 1 handful of radishes
- 5 red spring onions (or half a small red onion)
- 1 or 2 red peppers, cored and seeded
- 1 red apple, cored
- 2 handfuls of pomegranate seeds
- 120 ml argan oil
- 50 ml red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice to taste
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Put the fine slicer on your food processor; quarter the red cabbage and shred. Repeat with the radishes so they are in fine, papery slices. Swap the blade to coarse for the red pepper, and then chop the spring onions and the apple (cored but not peeled) coarsely with the main blade. You could do all this by hand of course.
- Mix the dressing ingredients together well and place in a large serving bowl with the salad. Stir well to combine, cover and refrigerate if not eating immediately.
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My Custard Pie 
Good to hear you’ve got your thermals on! Salad looks super healthy – nice to experiment with different oils…
Looks delicious, in Sweden being off the drink is the White month, in Ireland it;s 40 days of Lent 😉 Good luck holding my thumbs for veggie daughter.
Lovely red salad. In France Dry January is when it doesn’t rain. 😉
Love the look of this and especially the addition of pomegranate seeds.
Love the picture of those red “spring” onions….beautiful
Wonderfully healthy and so mouthwatering!
Cheers,
Rosa
I hope you are coping with the cold okay!
I usually only ever have red cabbage at Christmas time, but I really need to start eating it throughout the rest of the year too.
Gorgeous! This red cabbage salad looks delicious…
DAYM. This looks so bloody good. MAKING!
Thank you for this gorgeous.
Also my foodie blog is: eatingwith.wordpress.com
Gorgeous colours and now I need to go out and find some red spring onions, never come across those before!
Great recipe Sally. I felt the same about Bowie. Just reminiscing about the banned ‘China Girl’ video and putting on my Red shoes and dancing the Blues! Should have said you were over in the UK in Nottingham . We’re less than an hour from you so get in touch if you’re at a loose end or need somewhere to stay! Other half now based in Abu Dhabi working and we’re over for half term in a few weeks so hope to see you and catch up. Good luck to Teen Vegetarian!. Jess x
Looks gorgeous, love the idea of argan oil and pomegranate molasses with all those red crunchy veggies. You’ve picked the coldest bit of this winter to pop back to the UK! Hope you’re now enjoying the warmth of Dubai. We’re hoping for some proper sledging snow – then Spring can come.
Wow Sally using argan oil in food – news to me!
I ususally pickle my red cabbage but I’ll try this salad out as it makes for such a lovely idea and I still haven’t tried argan oil but love pomegranate molasses!
I wasn’t familiar with David Bowie growing up but I remember feeling the same way when one of my favorite Chinese singers died in a freak accident. His soulful music was such a part of my high school years that I felt depressed for days.
I don’t think I’ve heard of argan oil before – now I have to go do a little research. Thank you for sharing.
This looks delish! Definitely my kind of food!
I would love to crunch into this salad right now”:)
Looks so colourful and pretty!