Three cabbage slaw and a Christmas wish

I do have a Christmas wish that does not involve world peace, well-behaved children or the Myla Arietta playsuit. It is to sit down at a beautiful, heavily laden Christmas table that I did not have to lift a finger to prepare. Ahhhh. Usually this is THE time of year for me. I love cooking festive dishes and I absolutely love planning for it. But I have had a pretty busy 12 months and Chopper, my trusty chef’s knife, needs a break. But before that happens, here is a sassy little recipe for you. It might even make it on to your Christmas menu…

Health-supportive cabbages can be harvested throughout the year and there are many different varieties. They are delicious raw, stir-fried, braised, steamed, grilled and wrapped around different morsels. Short cooked or raw cabbage, especially Savoy cabbage, is a very good source of sinigrin, a glucosinolates (a natural component of many pungent plants such as mustard, cabbage and horseradish) that can be converted into allyl-isothiocyanate (or AITC), a colourless oil that is responsible for the pungent taste of plants such as radishes and which has shown unique cancer preventive properties with respect to bladder cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.  Don’t let that be the only reason to have this salad, though. It is quick and easy to prepare and adds a hit of freshness to any meal.

Three cabbage slaw

Serves 2

Ingredients for the dressing

1 tablespoon mayonnaise, preferably home-made

1 tablespoon grapefruit juice (reserved after segmenting the grapefruit)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

sea salt

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

maple syrup to taste

Ingredients for the slaw

1 handful finely shredded red cabbage

1 handful finely shredded Savoy cabbage

1 handful finely shredded Chinese or Napa cabbage

1 grapefruit, segmented with a sharp knife

1 chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds and membranes if you prefer it milder)

Method

1. Scoop the mayonnaise into a small bowl and add the rest of the ingredients while stirring.
2. Adjust seasoning.
3. Toss all the salad ingredients together and dress just before serving.

If you have started thinking about your Christmas menu, allow me to suggest a few things:

• make to do lists and even consider marking important “deadlines” in your calendar – it sounds a little OCD, but it avoids last-minute dashes to the store and ensures your best chances of serving truly festive fowl
• choose as many dishes  as possible that can be partly or wholly prepared ahead and remember that not EVERYthing has to be home-made
• on the night, set up a bar for guests to mix their own cocktails and be sure to serve yourself too
• have a plan ready for the leftovers and hand it over to the rest of the family on Boxing Day while you put up your feet for a well-deserved break