Cabbage with Tahini-Apricot Dressing

04-19-2018

We ate a lot of slaw growing up in the Sussman household. I can still hear my late mom, Steffi, firing up the Cuisinart to make quick work of shredding the cabbage and carrots in vast amounts, sometimes piling the vegetable wisps into two bowls if necessary. My update on her coleslaw is one sneaky little recipe, but not in a Jessica Seinfeldy way – I’m not trying to hide anything. Taste it once, and it instantly takes you back to childhood barbecues and ladies’ lunches with its Waldorf-y, Moosewood carrot-raisin-salad-ish tendencies. Have another bite, and your taste buds confirm that tahini is a worthy stand-in for mayonnaise, replicating its creamy qualities like a champ. To sweeten the dressing, I plump up dried apricots, then whir them in the blender with tahini for sweet, subtly nutty results.

Servings & Times

Yield:

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1 cup (about 7 ounces) plump dried apricots, chopped, divided

1 ¼ cups boiling water

½ cup pure tahini paste

5 tablespoons lemon juice

4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Slaw:

1 small red cabbage, shredded (4 cups)

1 green cabbage, shredded (4 cups)

3 carrots, shredded (4 cups)

1 celery root, shredded (2 cups)

½ cup chopped toasted walnuts

2 tablespoons fresh mint

¼ cup chives

Steps

Make the dressing:

Place ¾ cup of the apricots in a shallow bowl and cover them with the boiling water; let them rehydrate for at least 1 hour and up to 4. Transfer the apricots with their liquid to a blender and add the tahini, lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Make the slaw:

Place the red and green cabbages, celery root, and carrots in a bowl, add the dressing and toss until coated. Add the walnuts and the remaining ¼ cup chopped apricots along with the mint and chives and toss again. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Adeena Sussman is a chef living in Tel Aviv.