I get really excited about salads that don't include leafy green things. Leafy greens have their place in the spectrum of things that are wonderful about salad, but they are not everything. So often we get stuck thinking a salad starts with lettuce. This salad can also double as a cole slaw, or kohl slaw, if you are looking for an alternative that doesn't involve mayo. Either way it would be great with barbecue or anything off the grill.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized kohlrabi with greens
- 4-5 medium turnips
- 1 medium red beet
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 Doux South sweet pepper relish
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
There are a couple of different ways to prep the vegetables for this salad. My favorite by a mile is the Benriner Japanese Mandolin. It's cheap and easy to use, though it can be a little scary. Those blades are sharp and I would always recommend using the provided tool to grip the food and protect your fingers. You could use a knife, a julienne peeler, or a grater (either box or food processor) to achieve similar results with more work.
- Wash and peel the vegetables (peeling is optional for the kohlrabi and turnips, it depends on where they fall on the tender to tough spectrum). We will use the kohlrabi greens for this recipe, save the turnip and beet greens for something else, they are delicious.
- Julienne the vegetables, being careful of your fingertips.
- Toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes to draw out some of the excess moisture. This is a crucial step in any slaw recipe you could make, it will prevent your slaw from being too drippy and wet.
- Remove the stems from the kohlrabi greens. Stack the greens together and roll them up like you're rolling a cigar. Slice thinly across the roll to shred the greens. Add them to the julienned vegetables and toss toss toss.
- Make the dressing by combining the red pepper relish, oil, and apple cider vinegar in a bowl.
- After 30-45 minutes drain off the liquid that has come out of the vegetables, squeeze them a bit to get everything out.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together. Taste and add more salt or more vinegar depending on how salty and sour you like things to be.
This would be great with anything fried or grilled. We ate it with some pan-fried smoked milkfish. Enjoy!
-Matt
