(2020) Pikliz

Pikliz is a traditional accompaniment to griot, the braised and fried pork dish that’s pretty much the national dish of Haiti, but I’m told if you’re Haitian, you eat it with everything. It’s delicious enough that I believe it.

Consider this the summer slaw you’ve been dreaming of. Crunchy, tangy with citrus juice, just a little bit hot (with the amount of pepper we’ve included), it’s just the right side for rich dishes or anywhere you want something with a peppery punch.

When first made, the pikliz is pretty hot, but the heat mellows as it sits and we found the final result here perfect for folks who appreciate a little heat, but don’t want something overwhelming. Rock Steady’s Jacob Thomas notes that when his mother makes this, “she throws in all the hot peppers in there.”

(2020) Hawaiian Style Sesame Cabbage Salad

I’ve been craving Asian flavors, so here’s what I’d do with my cabbage and green onions. It’s a recipe from Saveur magazine. Sort of a take on old ramen noodle slaw recipes that have been around since maybe the 70s? The directions say to serve immediately and certainly the crushed ramen is crunchy that way, but I secretly like these salads best when they’re a day old and the noodles have softened and absorbed the goodness from the dressing.

(2019) Spicy Cabbage and Sweet Onion Slaw 

For one more simple slaw recipe, I offer you this one. Provenance unknown! It’s Vidalia onion season and soon we’ll be getting some sweet onions in our box. That head of cabbage will actually hold up fine for a few weeks (refrigerated, of course) so you could wait to make this, or make it with a store bought Vidalia. Quantities of cabbage and onion are up to you.

(2019) Mark Bittman’s Vegetable Pancakes

Vegetable pancakes seem to be a thing these days, and I love this recipe from Mark Bittman that will use up any vegetable you have on hand. You can use some of that lettuce if you chop it and maybe saute a little before mixing into the batter. Spinach? Sure. Grated kohlrabi. Absolutely. Chopped cabbage, probably anything from this week’s box except maybe the tomatoes which might turn watery.We eat these either with a little soy sauce or a little hot honey. That’s my new addiction and I’m not even a fan of hot sauces. But hot and sweet like the hot honeys people are producing these days? Love it.

(2018) Okonomiyai (cabbage pancakes)

Recently I’ve been playing around with her Okonomiyai (cabbage pancakes). I used the bok choy from a few weeks ago in that recipe. Traditionally it would be made with green cabbage, but you know, the bok choy worked perfectly. And I realized this recipe could be adapted to any green or vegetable like sweet potatoes or daikon or mustard greens or kale. You make an eggy, loose pancake batter, then you fill it with whatever vegetables you like. I enjoyed these for dinner but they were just as delicious for breakfast the next day. Here’s the basic recipe.

Her note: Adapted from a recipe on Food52, these pancakes are simple to throw together and make delicious use of an abundance of cabbage. I use 4 times the amount of cabbage called for in the original recipe (8 cups as opposed to 2), and I omit the shrimp, though I imagine the addition of shrimp would be very tasty. I like these with a soy dipping sauce (as opposed to a mayonnaise-based one). The one below is one I’ve been using for years, but feel free to use your own.