Cabbage salad

 

We were celebrating my SISTER's belated birthday this weekend and I decided to prepare her favorite cabbage salad.  This is one of the simplest salads there is; all you need is cabbage, onion, cucumbers, fresh dill, and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  The rest of ingredients are optional but you are free to improvise and add some of your favorite vegetables (I think radishes would work great).

For the dressing I used good quality extra virgin olive oil.  If you want a more complex flavor add a splash of lemon juice or some grated lemon rind.  You can also experiment with herbs: I added a little bit of home-grown lemon thyme in my salad but parsley and/or mint would be great too.

What you need:

1 small cabbage

1 small onion (I prefer the sweet varieties: vidalia, Spanish or red)

1 English cucumber or better a couple of small Lebanese cucumbers
fresh dill
2 tbsp capers (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper

 What to do:

• Finely slice the onion.  I first cut it in thin half-moons and then slice them in two.  If the onion is too strong, rinse it under cold water.
• A little trick: put sliced onion in the salad bowl, salt it well and mix thoroughly.  It will give a little bit of juice which is oh-so-good as part of the dressing.
• Grate cabbage: no need for any fancy tools here, just cut it in fairly thin strips.
• Cut cucumbers in thin half-circles.
• In a salad bowl, combine all the vegetables and add 2-3 tbsp of finely chopped dill.  Add capers and olive oil (or salad dressing) and mix.
• Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Tips and Suggestions: 

This salad is great for pick-nicks: it's does not get soggy and can easily survive a couple of hours outside of a fridge.