Winter Red Cabbage Slaw

Despite initially taking to it like a cat to water, red cabbage has become one of my very favourite ingredients. It has a sweet flavour and pleasantly crisp texture that makes it the ideal ingredient for raw slaws and salads. This recipe for Winter Red Cabbage Slaw is essentially a seasonal and festive twist on my Spiced Red Cabbage Slaw (also divine) – it’ll knock your socks off and stain your fingers a vivid purple.

It may seem a little early to kick off the festive recipes, but November seems a reasonable watershed to start thinking about Christmas preparations, however loosely. Most magazines, for instance, have embarked on their yearly quest to bring each and every reader the “perfect” turkey recipe. If you can’t beat them, join them.

There’s something so festive about introducing a recipe that contains an incredible juxtaposition between sweet and savoury. I’m not really clear why, but my first mouthful of this wonderful Winter Red Cabbage Slaw brought with it visions of the festive season. In this case, the apple and honey contrast beautifully with the nuttiness of toasted sesame seeds and bitterness of marmalade.

Ingredients:

• 1 very small red cabbage, finely sliced

• 2-3 small, firm apples cut into slices

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp thick-cut marmalade

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tsp cider vinegar

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

• ½ tsp salt

Method:

1. Place your sliced red cabbage and apple in a large mixing or salad bowl. Whisk together the honey, marmalade, oil, vinegar and salt – combine this with the cabbage. Lightly toast the sesame seeds and add them to the mix. Bring everything together with your hands and serve.

Cost: Red cabbage is such a cost-effective ingredient – you should be able to pick up a small one for as little as 50p and it’ll go surprisingly far. In all, this large bowl of slaw should set you back no more than around £1.