Thai Peanut Slaw

Spring is here, but we're still eating storage crops. This recipe calls for carrots and celeriac alongside the cabbage, but you could sub in (or add) other root veggies like turnips or winter radishes if you like. Substitute thinly sliced red onion for the scallions if you don't have scallions on hand. And you could garnish with fresh cilantro if you have some.

1 small green cabbage, very thinly sliced
1 small celeriac root, peeled and shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 cup Peanut Sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar

Combine all veggies in a large bowl.

Combine peanut sauce and rice vinegar and stir well. Drizzle over the veggie mixture and toss until all veggies are coated. Refrigerate slaw for at least a few hours and up to a few days. Serve cold or room temperature..

Serves about 8.

Split Pea Vegetable Soup with Bacon

You can, of course, leave the bacon out of this for a vegetarian version. Or substitute sausage. But the bacon is really good.

2 1/2 cups dry split peas
1 bay leaf
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 cups water or stock (chicken or veggie)
2-3 tsp salt, or to taste
6 medium carrots, cut into coins
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped cooked bacon
2-3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the split peas, bay leaf, mustard seeds, stock or water, and salt in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until split peas are cooked through. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and cabbage and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Stir in bacon, vinegar, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Serves 5-6.

Lentil Soup with Sweet Potato, Cabbage, and Roasted Red Peppers

Adding to my ever-growing collection of different lentil soup recipes. Always a good bet for a winter night. You can substitute standard brown lentils for the lentilles du puy if you like; they will just need a bit longer to cook. I make roasted red peppers in the early fall and stash some in my freezer - they make a great flavor boost to dishes like this throughout the winter. And of course sweet potatoes and cabbage are winter storage staples, readily available at farmers markets or in winter CSAs. This makes a large batch and freezes well.

3 cups lentilles du puy (the little green ones)
Several cups of water and/or vegetable stock
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste
1 bay leaf
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
Olive oil
2 large shallots or a small onion, finely chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chopped green cabbage
6 ounces roasted red peppers, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

Place the lentils in a soup pot. Add water or stock to cover them by at least two inches. Add salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. After about 10 minutes, add the sweet potatoes and continue to simmer.

While the lentils and sweet potatoes cook, heat a little olive oil in a skillet. Add the shallots (or onion) and garlic and saute over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the cabbage and continue to saute until it is tender but retains a little crunch.

Add the cabbage mixture to the lentils in the pot along with the roasted red peppers. Add additional water or stock if needed to reach desired consistency. Stir in black pepper and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Serves 6-8.

Requested: Cabbage

Three commenters posting requests so far have all mentioned cabbage. At this time of year, in my opinion, the best way to use cabbage is in salads and slaws. (You can make these through the winter, too, with storage cabbage, when salad greens are harder to find.) Here are three good ones:

Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw (Clarkdale has its first apples in now)

Sesame Mustard Slaw

Spice Green and Purple Korean Cabbage Salad

Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw

Another winter slaw...this one very pink. It has a nice crunch and mild kick from the dressing. These slaws keep well in the fridge for a few days, so you can make a large batch and eat it with dinner over a couple days.

1 small-medium heat red cabbage, very thinly sliced
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp spicy mustard
1-2 tsp salt

Combine the cabbage, apple, and onion in a large bowl and fluff with your fingers or toss well with a spoon to separate all the strands.

Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl or jar and mix well. Pour over salad and toss to thoroughly coat everything. Let slaw sit for an hour or so before serving.

Serves 6-8.

Sesame Mustard Slaw

This recipe, slightly adapted, comes from Didi Emmons's excellent Vegetarian Planet. Didi loves slaws and this book has a whole section of them. At a time of year when cabbage is more readily available than fresh salad greens, slaws are a welcome way to use them. This one is fantastic. For my own contributions, see the variation ideas.

6-8 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
1/2 medium red onion, very thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
1 large carrot, grated
1 1/2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp sesame seeds

Combine the cabbage, onion, and carrot in a large bowl and fluff with your fingers to separate and mix all the pieces.

In a jar or small bowl, combine all other ingredients except the sesame seeds. Pour over the veggies and toss to coat. Cover the slaw and refrigerate for at least one hour to let the cabbage soften and the flavors mingle.

Just before serving, lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet. Toss with the salad and serve.

Serves about 6.

Variations: There is no need to limit this to cabbage, or even to use cabbage at all. The dressing goes well with other types of winter vegetables. Try combining shredded carrots and raisins with the dressing (sesame seeds optional). Or use apple instead of carrot in the cabbage version. Or try a combination of shredded carrot and celeriac. Yum!

Spicy Green and Purple Korean Cabbage Salad

Cabbage is not my favorite vegetable, but it's one of those winter storage staples and has been showing up in our CSA box. This recipe is one way to use a bunch of it at once. Carrots and fennel (optional) add notes of intriguing sweetness, and the whole thing is coated with a hot and spicy dressing. Be warned: this salad is delicious but is not for the faint of heart (or palate). Although the dressing is allowed to sit overnight to blend and mellow, fresh garlic, ginger, and chili paste give it a hefty kick. Also note that the preparation needs to be started the night before. The good news is that the salad will keep for several days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. This dish was inspired by a recipe in Didi Emmons’s Vegetarian Planet.

Salad
1 medium red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 medium savoy or napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, in thin 1-inch lengths
1 large fennel bulb and stalks, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sea salt
water

Dressing
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
2-3 tsp chili paste
4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced
2-3 Tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed, ground, or minced

Combine the red cabbage, savoy or napa cabbage, red onion, carrots, and fennel in a large bowl. Add water until the vegetables are just covered. Sprinkle with the salt, then stir gently to mix and dissolve. Cover and set aside.

Combine the rice vinegar, canola oil, chili paste, garlic, ginger, and fennel seeds in a small bowl or jar. Cover and set aside. Let both the vegetables and dressing sit overnight at room temperature.

The following day, drain the vegetables but do not rinse them, then toss them with the dressing, making sure everything gets well coated. If not serving the salad immediately, place it in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Serves 5-6.