Apple and cabbage salad

January 12, 2011  •  Category:

 

I was fortunate to meet in Beirut a Lebanese chef I had admired from afar, Maroun Chédid. He had won a Bocuse d’Or representing Lebanon in 2005 (This award is the culinary equivalent of the Olympic games, the US won in 2009), was the Executif Chef for a string of restaurants in town (La Posta, Lubnaniyat, L’Atelier); considered an international Master Chef, he was amongst the main creators  of nouvelle Lebanese cuisine: steeped in tradition but modern in form and technique.


Chef Maroun Chédid was warm, full of passion for his craft  and down-to-earth; he showed me some of the projects he was working on, which included the total renovation of the Roumieh correctional facility’s kitchen (in order to feed 6000 inmates).

I tasted some of Chef Chédid’s creations, among them a cabbage salad that was outstanding: Finely shredded cabbage, crabmeat, some chopped nuts and a medley of seasonal fruits, including strawberries, melons, grapefruit segments, in a sauce that had hints of mustard seeds and curry.

I did not get the recipe for his salad, but this one is inspired by it; apples and the apple cider molasses I recently discovered, shredded cabbage, some Texas pecans.

Son Nick’s comment: ” Mom, this salad is good for anybody over 35, it is too healthy-tasting”.

INGREDIENTS: Quantity will serve 8 to 12

    • 1 small green cabbage, shredded fine (about 18 ounces)
    • 1 can lump crab meat (6 ounces or 170 g.)
    • 2 large apples
    • 1/2 cup of golden raisins (85 g or 3 ounces)
    • 1 cup of pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (6 ounces)

Dressing:

  • 2 Tablespoons of apple cider molasses
  • 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (2 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • several cranks of black pepper or mustard seeds
  • pinch of turmeric or curry

METHOD:

  1. Shred the cabbage as fine as possible. Soak the raisins in a bowl of very hot water to soften them (optional).
  2. Drain and rinse the crabmeat. Add to the cabbage. Cut the apples in small chunks, add to the cabbage.
  3. Chop the pecans coarsely. Add to the salad. Drain the raisins and add to the salad.
  4. Pour two tablespoons of apple cider molasses in a bowl; add the apple cider vinegar and the olive oil whisking continuously. Add a few cracks of pepper or mustard seeds and some salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour over the cabbage salad, toss and serve immediately or store in the fridge to consume later.

NOTE: The apple cider molasses can be replaced by some apple butter or honey.

I have found apple molasses  in Lebanon but also in the US; it is produced by a farm in upstate New York, Allens Hills Farm using organic apple cider.

 

Comments

23 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Ivy says:

    How lucky you are to get to meet so many interesting people. I’ve never tasted apple molasses before and not sure if we can find it here in Greece but I will try the salad with honey.

  2. Rosa says:

    A great salad! I love fruit molasses…

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  3. Katerina says:

    I love the combination of cabbage and apples. When I was dating with my husband, in order to impress me he cooked for me tuna pasta and a salad with cabbage and apples. Actually, that was the first and last time I ate something he cooked. He just left the whole thing completely on my shoulders.

  4. Diane says:

    This sounds so delicious but I have still not tracked down apple molases 🙁 Diane

  5. Priya says:

    U r so lucky to meet so many celebrity peoples, btw salad with apple and cabbage sounds very delicious..

  6. samir says:

    I have tried many a cabbage salad and this one looks intriguing ..but I always come back to the beloved salatat el malfoof ma nana..finely sliced/shredded cabbage rubbed with salt to drain bitter juices and make it sweeter and soften a bit ,,rinsed/dried and then dressed in garlic, mint, lemon ,olive oil dressing..so bright and clean , refreshing. a taste sensation,.my favorite side dish for kibben bil saniyeh when I was growing up….I once tried an very unsual variation on it at a lebanese/syrian restaurant , but instead of nana/mint they used habat el barakah( nigella seeds?) ..have you ever heard of this variation?

    • Joumana says:

      @Samir: no, but I would like to try it! sounds good.

      @Katerine: dukkah is not usually available in the middle-eastern stores ready-mad; you can make you own quite easily with whatever nuts and spices you have on hand and like.

      @Adair: Pomegranate molasses is also used as a salad dressing, especially in Damascus; it is going to taste more sour than the apple one, so you may want to add honey to it. Taste and see if you like it! 🙂

  7. Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:

    I guess I am old enough to enjoy the salad according to your son lol. The crab meat is what really gets my attention. Sounds like it was a great meeting with this chef

  8. Heni says:

    I never had apples in a salad or with cabbage – something to try!

  9. Steve @ HPD says:

    Might be a Lebanese chef’s recipe, but I can think of millions in the northeast and pacific northwest of the US of A who would love this!

  10. 5 Star Foodie says:

    A lovely salad! I like the crab and the raisins here and the dressing with apple molasses sounds amazing!

  11. Kelly says:

    What an interesting salad — the flavors sound wonderful together, a combo of sweet and tart, with a nice crunch from the cabbage. Delicious!

  12. Lentil Breakdown says:

    I wonder if I could use the pomegranate molasses that I bought because when I saw it in the market, I thought of you!

  13. Angie's Recipes says:

    The salad sounds really special with apple molasses dressing. I love the recipe. Thanks!

  14. Faith says:

    What a fantastic opportunity to meet such a talented chef! The salad looks like a great combination of flavors…I really love the pecans for a little nutty crunch!

  15. peter says:

    This is a clever salad: the acid in the apple helps cure/soften the cabbage. You keep good company, my dear.

  16. Devaki says:

    I HAVE got to come to one of your parties Joumana – Seriously – you know the coolest people 🙂

    Such lovely flavors and I got a chuckle from what Nick said – seeing how I belong in that pile 🙂

    chow! Devaki@weavethousandflavors

  17. SYLVIA says:

    Nothing could me more healthy than this crunchy salad of cabbage, apple chunks, and nuts that can be serve as a light lunch or as a main course. Cabbage is a powerful detoxifier, and apples contain enzymes that aid the digestive process and eliminate fatty deposits in the body’s cells. This is a good recipe Joumana, thank you.

  18. Conor @ HoldtheBeef says:

    Hehe, well, I for one am looking forward to being 7 years older so I can try this salad 🙂

  19. sweffing says:

    I seem to fit into the required age group so no wonder that I think this is a lovely fresh salad for this time of year. Can’t wait to try it, thanks.

  20. Isabelle says:

    This is definitely a salad I will try. All ingredients and spices I love. Great to make in a “verrine”, you know ? Those delicious little starters. Wonderful recipe, thanks Joumana.

  21. Zara says:

    Hi Joumana! Your experience of meeting such a great chef sounds wonderful, you are so lucky! I love salads and your son’s humor 😉 Am going to try this one, thank you!

  22. Eftychia says:

    Hi Joumana. I like your recipes very much, so today I added your blog to my blogroll. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!

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