Although if pressed I’d call this a salad, but it is also pretty much a meal in itself. Lots of crunchy textures, sweet and savory flavors, fruity top notes (tomato) and earthy nuttiness (pepitas), all swathed in refreshing mint and parsley. Add some cheese, cold chicken, cold cuts, or pressed tofu to make it even more substantial.
INGREDIENTS:
½ head savoy cabbage (enough to yield 6-7 cups), sliced into fine shreds 2-3 summer squash, cut into 3 inch strips with the middle comb of a Ben-Riner, or cut into matchsticks or ¼-inch dice 3 Mokum (or other sweet) carrots, cut finely 3 inches long with the middle comb of a Ben-Riner, or sliced into fine matchsticks or ¼-inch dice 2-3 ears corn, peeled and corn cut from cob (save cobs for making corn stock-see website for recipe) 6-8 scallions, trimmed and cleaned, sliced finely ½-inch long on the diagonal, whites and greens kept separate 2-3 tomatoes, different colors if possible, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice, drained in a colander ¼ to ½ cup pepitas 1-2 tablespoons each flat leaf parsley and spearmint, chopped finely but not to the point where the leaves are indistinguishable from each other and everything turns dark green 1 cup, or as needed, Mint Vinaigrette, Creamy Mint Dressing, or Creamy Mint Dressing v2.0 (the last features honey and no mustard, the second has Dijon style mustard and agave, so has a little bit if sharpness, and both feature yogurt for creaminess, whereas the vinaigrette has none.) See website for recipes Salt and pepper to tasteMETHOD:
Use a large non-reactive bowl for this. Drizzle just under a ¼-cup of dressing into the bottom of the bowl. Add the scallion whites and corn, then the squash and carrots and gently toss together to combine and coat with the dressing. Add the cabbage and drizzle with some more dressing and use your hands or tongs and turn the cabbage into the other ingredients to mix well and distribute dressing. Add some of the scallion greens and mix in. Taste the mixture to see if you want more scallion greens, and add them if so.
Scatter half the herbs onto the salad and mix in, then add the rest and mix in.
Add the tomatoes and carefully mix into the salad. Taste for dressing and add more if needed. Place on a platter or in a bowl, or serve on four chilled plates. Season with salt and pepper and then scatter the pepitas over the salads, and serve.
If you wish to add cheese, meats, or tofu, mix in just before service or scatter over the top.
Chef’s Notes: This salad would be a great base for grilled chicken or chops, and would be a great topping for roasted or grilled salmon. Cut the recipe in half and serve it in bowls or large flared glasses with grilled shrimp for an interesting take on shrimp cocktail.
Serves: 4-6 (or more)
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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