Over the years our super slaw has gained a cult following of unexpected proportions. There's something about the delicious dressing, those irresistible tamari cashews and the fact that you don't have to painstakingly julienne your own veggies.
This recipe is a little bit like our much-loved and lamented super slaw, only with a Christmassy twist. Instead of tamari cashews, we're using lightly candied and spiced pecans and we're keeping the colour palette of the crisp julienned vegetables and herbs to red, green and white: beetroot, red cabbage, fennel, kohlrabi, kale, parsley and dill. We are particularly enamoured of the dressing - it's tangy from pomegranate molasses and red wine vinegar, has a touch of sweetness from maple syrup and generally makes what is actually a super healthy salad feel like a total treat.
It's a fabulous side for the Christmas ham or as part of a vegetarian or traditional festive spread.
This recipe serves 8 served as a side
For the slaw
Ingredients
1 small fennel bulb, julienned
1 small kohlrabi, julienned
1 large beetroot, julienned
1 small red cabbage, finely sliced
1/2 bunch kale, stalks removed, leaves finely sliced
a few sprigs of parsley, roughly chopped
a few sprigs of dill, roughly chopped
For the dressing
Ingredients
100ml extra virgin olive oil
30ml pomegranate molasses
30ml red wine vinegar
20ml maple syrup
salt to taste
Method
Blend dressing ingredients together and taste for balance.
For the spiced pecans
Ingredients
2 tsp coconut oil
a pinch of ground cayenne pepper
a pinch of cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground sweet paprika
1 tsp brown sugar
1 small sprig rosemary, leaves removed from stalks and roughly chopped
80g pecans
a pinch of sea salt flakes
Method
Make a spiced oil by melting the coconut oil and add the cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, brown sugar, rosemary and combine well.
Add the pecans to the spiced oil with the salt flakes and stir through.
Spread out on paper lined tray and cook at 180 until golden brown for approximately 10 minutes.
Hot tip: While you're at it, you could make more of the spiced pecans to snack on later (or to throw on your cheese & charcuterie platter)
Now we're ready for assembly!
Toss salad together with dressing and scatter pecans on top.