It’s been an exhilarating couple of days down at Marmalade HQ. Time in the studio creating a test podcast with the fabulous Jonathan Bailor, the most successful Friday Night Dinner to date, and a Big Breakfast Adventure photo shoot with the {very} dashing Cooper. Coupled with fantastic weather, hanging out with Farmer Becky and The Big Guy, half a dozen of the best macarons in Seattle, another Big Breakfast Adventure with the divine Ms. Bromwell and a surprise care package from England containing 3 Boost Bars, 4 bars of Cadbury’s Fruit ‘n’ Nut and a bottle of Heinz Salad Cream. I had to have an afternoon nap today just to keep myself from getting over excited. Even better is that all this glorious activity has left me so behind on blog posts it’s starting to become funny. There’s so much in my life that makes me smile these days, sleep seems to be the only time my face muscles get a break. Just the way I like it.
So this is destined to be one of the shortest posts I have ever written. But first, here’s a look at that fantastic weather. I broke the cardinal rule of landscape photography by shooting at noon, but when the weather and view in Seattle are like this, who cares about rules? Psst. Between you and me, I don’t care much for rules, much of the time.
And here’s what helped cause last night’s Friday Night Dinner to be hailed as the most successful yet.
Raw cabbage.
As Farmer Becky, The Big Guy and I were sat at the table merrily munching my latest *SANE™ creations, I piped up, “Wow. You would never think that you were eating raw cabbage, would you?” At which point Farmer Becky’s fork, carrying a huge load of Orange Herb Slaw, stopped in mid-air. There were more than a few seconds of silence as she glared at me across the table, mouth half open and fork poised in front of it. I suddenly became concerned that dinner was about to veer off over an unexpected cliff.
“This is cabbage??” Farmer Becky demanded.
“Yes”.
Her mouth closed.
The forkful of slaw remained suspended above her plate.
The Big Guy didn’t say a word.
“Cabbage”.
“Yes”.
“I don’t like cabbage”.
I gulped. Would this be the demise of The Friday Night Dinner? Would this be the night where I would fail my long-suffering recipe-testing friends?
“I can’t believe this is cabbage. This is the most amazing salad. It tastes absolutely fantastic. Who would’ve ever thought that cabbage could taste like this. Oh my gosh. I *LOVE* this!!!!!”, she exclaimed.
And with that, the slaw-loaded fork disappeared into her mouth.
And I let out a huge sigh of relief.
So I give you, lovely readers, Orange Herb Slaw. My new favorite salad and the dish that knocked more socks off Farmer Becky than she could wear in a week. I dished it up alongside Glazed Salmon and Green Pea & Pineapple Salad. Both of which would have knocked the socks off Farmer Becky except she had none left. The salmon recipe is up next.
Enjoy!
- 2 large navel oranges
- 3 TBSP white wine vinegar
- 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small head Napa cabbage, very finely shredded
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, unchopped
- 1 cup fresh basil, large leaves torn
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- Segment the oranges: with the peel still on the fruit, slice off the stem and blossom ends. Following the fruit’s curve, cut away the peel and white pith. Then, over a small bowl, cut along the membranes to release the segments. Place segments to one side. Once the segments of orange are removed, squeeze the membranes for juice into the bowl.
- Mix the white wine vinegar with 2 tablespoons of the orange juice in a small bowl. Pour the oil in a slow, steady stream into the vinegar, whisking vigorously with a small whisk until emulsified.
- Toss the finely shredded cabbage, basil, parsley, scallions, and orange segments in a serving bowl
- Spoon the dressing evenly over the salad.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle with a few extra slices of scallion and top with a sprig of parsley to garnish.
Farmer BeckyCarrie, you continue to amaze me with your creations. Never in a million years would I have guessed this was cabbage. Must say, this was delish!!
carrieHee hee. Farmer Becky likes cabbage 🙂
Glazed Salmon » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts[…] ate it with Orange Herb Slaw and Green Pea & Pineapple Salad. It was a light and summery plate of goodness. In reality, […]
Green Pea and Pineapple Salad » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts[…] the plate with it was Glazed Salmon and Orange Herb Slaw. The colors all complemented each other so well you’d think I’d planned it that […]
SimoneHi Carrie,
I’ve never heard of napa cabbage. What would be the best UK equivalent please? Thanks. Can’t wait to try this out!
carrieSimone – check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napa_cabbage
SimoneAh! Chinese leaf! Thanks, Carrie 🙂