Pickled red slaw

Driving through Banff the other day we stopped for lunch at Nourish Bistro on Bear Street, known for their innovative vegetarian and vegan cuisine. We ordered three dishes between the two of us: fresh peas and coconut soup, 420 burger and a slaw with pickled asparagus garnish. The menu was not overly descriptive so I cannot tell you what each dish was made with other than describe what I saw.

According to the menu the burger had “thoughtful ingredients” and it seemed that it had lentils and vegetables worked into it. The soup was simple, a little heavy on the coconut but good and the salad, for me the highlight, had shredded red cabbage and carrots with parsley, dried cranberries and black and white sesame seeds. At least that’s what I remember.

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I asked the server about the dressing for the slaw and she went in to ask the chef but all she came back with was red wine vinegar and sesame oil. Okay, I guess they are entitled to be secretive about their recipes. I asked if there was a Nourish cookbook available or in the making but was advised that no, they are not interested in publishing a book. Too bad, the food was good.

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So I tried to create a similar slaw this morning. It’s hard to remember exactly what it tasted like. I just remember sweet and tangy flavours perhaps with a touch of sesame. This is not exact reproduction but it’s a nice pickled style red slaw to serve alongside other summer foods, especially vegetarian burger.

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Ingredients:

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Salad:

1 small red cabbage, shredded, about 4 cups

4 small summer carrots, shredded, about 2 cups

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

A handfull coarsley chopped flat leaf parsley

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine or raspberry vinegar

2-3 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds oil

Salt and pepper

A few dried hot pepper flakes

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Directions:

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Combine the shredded cabbage, carrots and cranberries in a bowl and mix.

Combine dressing ingredients and mix to emulsify (you can shake in a jar with lid or mix with a fork). Depending on the acidity of the vinegar, you may need to add another teaspoon of sugar.

Toss the salad with the dressing, then add the pumpkin seeds and sprinkle with the chia seeds.

Let the salad marinate if you have time or serve immediately. It gets softer as it sits, which is a good thing.

Sprinkle with the parsley just before serving.

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