Ensalada Caribeña: Cuban Cabbage Salad

Besides winter squash, my current obsession is cabbage. It all started with my frugal rice salad. Then I became interested in expanding my knowledge of Latin cuisine. So far this year I've made ensalada de remolacha (Cuban beet salad) and ensalada de repollo (Latin cabbage salad). Both recipes feature vegetables that are available year round without a noticeable different in quality. The ensalada de repollo was a great addition to my fall line-up of soups. It was bright, fresh, and raw. Qualities that I probably wouldn't use to describe many of the side dishes found on the table this time of year. I wanted to continue to experiment with the possibilities.

Z.'s favorite salad from Pambiche is their ensalada caribeña, or Caribbean salad. It's a red and green cabbage salad with carrots and herbs dressed with a refreshing citrus vinaigrette. I tried creating my own version of ensalada caribeña. 

I have enjoyed this recipe several ways. First, I enjoyed my Caribbean salad as its own meal, making a healthy lunch. I also a small plate of the salad as a side dish to my Fall Squash Soup. The bright, citrus flavors will complement all of fall's most popular dishes. Come back soon for the recipe!

Tabbouleh "Salad"

This is a meal we had recently, created in an improvisatory moment.

Basically, it's tabbouleh deconstructed. Tabbouleh is a salad of bulgur wheat, cucumber, tomato, occasionally onion, with lots of parsley and mint, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

 

I took the components of tabbouleh but rather than combining them, I layered the ingredients on a bed of crisp lettuce and topped it with my own light, bright vinaigrette. I have become quite smitten with parsley and mint in my green salads. Then, the still slightly warm bulgur added substance and its own nutty deliciousness. If you would like a complete meal, add a few chickpeas. Enjoy!