Guest blogger Dawn Stanyon, president of Professionality Consulting, has been helping us promote The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook. She also works with our friends at Berkshire Grown, so there’s synchronicity. Dawn has been cooking some of the recipes from the book and shared this one, a fast favorite. “It was absolutely delicious,” she declared.
We decided to have this be a fun little Q and A in the spirit of summer.
Q: Why this recipe?
A: It’s been hot in the Berkshires! So, who wants to cook? For me and my family, summer eating is all about salads with produce from the Great Barrington Farmers’ Market and our own garden (that’s my cilantro below). We also enjoy grilling. The Raw Slaw recipe jumped out when I was leafing through The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook. Just a little chopping and presto! A meal.
Q: Did you make any ingredient swaps?
A: The recipe calls for a gold or Chioggia beet, but I had an organic red beet on hand and it worked just fine. You know red beets—they turn everything pink. But here the sturdy cabbage and kale (I used lacinato) can stand up to that and didn’t change color. And I’d bet the flavor was just as good. You could use Napa cabbage too but I had picked up this choice green head from the market.
Q: Any tips for prepping ahead?
A: This recipe is also appealing because you can make it up to a day or two ahead, and the flavors just go ahead and mingle. If you do make it ahead, wait to put in the nuts (we used walnuts) until just before serving, to ensure they are still crunchy.
Q: How did you serve it?
A: For dinner, we paired the salad with grilled pork chops. And then next day, the salad itself was lunch—with a few extra walnuts thrown in.
The Recipe
Note: You can also read about this recipe in a review of The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook by MindBodyGreen.
Image by Cameron Whitman / Stocksy
Raw Slaw
Serves 4 to 6
Inspired by Et Cetera Farm in Ghent, NY
This light and slightly sweet slaw can be served as a salad, used as a base for grilled fish or poultry, or even tucked into a sandwich. It’s advisable to prepare double the amount of dressing—mayonnaise, soy sauce, sriracha, and orange juice—and save half to use on the salad the next day, since the vegetables quickly soak it up.
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
4 teaspoons soy sauce
Juice of 1 orange (about 1/4 cup)
2 cups finely ribboned cabbage
2 cups finely ribboned kale
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded gold or Chioggia beet
3 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or any preferred nut)
1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, soy sauce, sriracha, and orange juice in a large bowl until a smooth dressing is achieved.
2. Add the cabbage, kale, carrot, beet, scallions, and cilantro. Using tongs or your fingers, mix together the slaw, pinching to soften the vegetables. Pour on the dressing to dully coat the vegetables, scatter the chopped nuts on top; and serve.
