Jazz-y Slaw

RECIPE BY ALICE ZASLAVSKY

PREPARATION TIME 15 MINUTES | SERVES 6-8

Jazz music, like salad, benefits from variety. In the former, you get it from pacing –rhythm changes up and down to create a crescendo or soothe the ears with a slow sequence. In the latter, textural changes and plenty of colour and movement in the ingredients provide the eater with enough interest to come in again and again. Think of the dressing like a harmony – it’s sharp and acidic, with pops of poppy seed to punctuate like a tappity-tap on the cymbals.

Poppyseed Dressing

2 tbsp finely chopped or grated red onion (see tips)

2 tsp English mustard

6 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp sea salt flakes

6 tbsp grapeseed oil

Freshly ground pepper to taste

SLAW

¼ red cabbage shredded very finely

¼ wombok shredded very finely

1 carrots finely shredded

½ red onion finely sliced

2 tablespoons snipped chives

1 handful and young parsley leaves

4 JAZZ™ apples

Method

To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a lidded jar, seal tightly, and give it a speakeasy bar shakey-shake. Taste and correct for seasoning, and set aside in the jar for the flavours to develop.

In a large bowl, combine the shredded slaw ingredients, bar the apples. Only when close to serving, cut the cheeks off the JAZZ™ apples, slicing half into matchsticks and half into thin slices and place into acidulated water (500ml water with the juice and the skeletons of 2 lemons).

Just before serving, drain the prepared apple slices and toss together with the rest of the ingredients. Give the dressing another good shake and pour over the salad, tossing again to coat generously.

Transfer to a platter and serve immediately, pausing for applause.

Tips

Slice the cheeks off your red onion to use for the slaw and save the inside panel for grating into the dressing.

You can make this up to a day ahead – just store the sliced apples in their acidulated water bath with a lid until serving time, and don’t dress until the very last minute.

You can finely slice by hand, using a food processor, a mandolin with julienne attachment, or even a julienne peeler. Cut the wombok and cabbage against the grain for the best shaped thin slices.

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