salad

“My friend Kristen shared this recipe with me. She rediscovered it in a book she had from her Nana.” – Peggy Wrysinski Greene

1 med head shredded cabbage

1 small onion, cut fine

1 bell pepper, cut fine (I used red and yellow)

15 or 20 stuffed olives, sliced

Combine:

1 cup cider vinegar

1 teas. salt

1 teas. celery seed

1/8 teas. pepper

1 teas. prepared mustard

1/2 cup salad oil

Bring liquids/spices to a boil. Pour over prepared vegetables. Turn salad occasionally. Keeps indefinitely.

Serves 8-10

“When I made it, I told Kristen I felt like I was back in my grandmother’s kitchen. It has the flavors of something she would have made.”

From Kristen:

“Melva Marchand Burnett Wagers was a fantastic cook. Recently I rediscovered Nana’s recipe for Warm Cabbage Salad. The recipe card was written by her. I felt close to her again. Many of Melva’s best recipes are family recipes which came from the east across the prairie. I think this is one of those recipes. The salad really does last forever. Be sure to wait until the next day – it’s worth it.”

Fresh persimmons in a salad? Are you kidding?!

Opening one’s mind and taste buds to new thoughts, ideas and flavors is what keeps life interesting. The idea of including fresh persimmons in a salad presented itself when I attended a supper club meal at Polly’s Paladar. This creation was made with bitter greens, pomegranates, and candied pecans. It was topped with hot pork chunks and served with a vinegrette dressing.

Here is my modified version. I named it ‘Christmas Salad’ because I first made it right after Thanksgiving – using turkey left-overs – and everyone exclaimed that the colors (spinach, pomegranties, persimmons and mandarines)…looked just like Christmas.

Candied Pecans

Coat as many pecans as you plan to use with maple syrup. Spread them out flat on a baking pan and cook at 200 degrees until nuts are lightly toasted (and dry) …..approx. 30 minutes.