Recipe

Paper thin Brazilian slaw

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Picnic Dish

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dish in the Raw

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Greens
Chef
creamtea's Notes: I learned to make this salad from my former babysitter, Adriana, who said that this was her most requested recipe to bring to big potluck dinners. The goal is to shred or dice the ingredients...
I learned to make this salad from my former babysitter, Adriana, who said that this was her most requested recipe to bring to big potluck dinners. The goal is to shred or dice the ingredients as finely as possible: paper thin shavings of cabbage, tiny dice of peppers make a delicately textured, tart salad that is a delicious foil to roast chicken or fish dishes. It can be altered according to what you have in the house or what's available at the market: parsley in place of cilantro, scallion or shallot in place of onion, and tomatoes instead of peppers will all make a brightly colored, flavorful dish. Adriana used garlic powder in the dressing, and I sometimes do to, though some may sniff (kerchoo!) at the thought.

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Shred the cabbage--the thinner, the better. Maybe you have a mandoline. Since I don't, my way is to place a cutting board at the left edge of the kitchen sink so that the edge of the board aligns with the sink edge. Place a large bowl inside the sink and below the board, so that as you cut, you can sweep the shavings right into the bowl. Place a washed and dried wedge of cabbage on the board, and with a very sharp knife, make light, forward-moving cuts. Don't cut through to the board each time, just make partial cuts so you can gauge the fineness of each shave. Not as difficult as it sounds, and you'll soon get the hang of it. It helps to rotate the wedge of cabbage slightly as you go, because it's easier to get a thin cut when you have a somewhat smaller surface to work with. Periodically sweep the cabbage shavings into the bowl.
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Cut and seed the peppers and slice into very thin strips. Cut crosswise into tiny dice and add to the cabbage.
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Add the minced onion and cilantro into the cabbage mixture and toss gently.
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In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and garlic. Add salt and a few grinds of pepper to taste and stir. Add the olive oil in a stream, beating with a whisk or fork, until emulsified.
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Just before serving, drizzle the salad with the dressing. Toss to coat, taste and adjust seasoning.
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