A couple of years ago when Georgina Hayden’s cookbook Taverna came out, one of the first recipes I made from it was her cabbage slaw and I cannot tell you how often I’ve made it. It’s genius! I’ve messed around with the recipe so many times adding whatever has been in my fridge – pomegranates, fennel, you name it – and this is one of my favourite takes on it, especially around this time of year. The finely sliced onions, cabbage and lemon juice sort of make a really quick pickle, so make sure you get it all done a good 30 minutes before you want to serve it so it has time to soften and get juicy. Thanks for the inspiration Georgie, as always.
Note: make sure you get really good quality, freshly ground sumac for this. If your sumac has been sitting in the cupboard for a while, you won’t get as much zing!
Serves: 4
Photography: Safia Shakarchi
Ingredients
½ small head of white cabbage
1 large onion
1 large apple
3 tsp sumac
Juice of 2 lemons
Extra virgin olive oil (I love Two Fields)
1tsp flaky sea salt
Black pepper
Method
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Finely shred the cabbage and onion, ideally using a mandolin (being very careful with your fingers) or with a sharp knife. Toss them together into a big serving bowl.
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Core your apples and julienne them – that’s just the fancy term for cutting them into really thin matchsticks. Add them to the bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
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Pour over a really generous glug of your best olive oil, the flaky sea salt, a good grind of black pepper and 2tsp of sumac. Toss everything really well and set aside for at least 15 minutes, or ideally 30 minutes.
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When you’re ready to serve, add in the mint leaves and mix to combine. Finish with the remaining 1tsp sumac sprinkled on top.
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