THIS IS NO FROU-FROU SALAD

Chopped Red Cabbage Salad

Out with friends I must go to enjoy the lettuce I love so.  In my home, to my dismay, there is no bib or fragile frisee.  Alas, no arugula or butter crunch.  For such finery, it is out to lunch.  Forget the beats with citrus dressing. For them I am always obsessing.  Dreams of  endive, radicchio too. Dressing so lovely, creamy and bleu. 

Ok!  Enough of that!  Sorry, I can’t help myself. 

What I am trying to say is that my family likes a hearty salad.  One that will suffice as a one-course meal or at least pair well with a bowl of soup.  Soup and salad are on my menu at least twice a week, no matter the season.  The last few days, though, the heat has come on strong so we dropped the soup and had one of our favorite salads, a hearty bean and red cabbage.  It is definitely a meal in itself.  Although not included in this recipe, add shredded chicken or tuna for a very filling, very satisfying salad.

Ingredients

1 head red cabbage

3 tomatoes (Shady Lady if available – grape tomatoes make a nice substitute)

5  Kelly or 1 English cucumber

1/2 cup finely chopped small red or sweet white onion

1 cup rinsed garbanzo beans

1/2 cup rinsed kidney beans

1 cup fresh mint leaves (rinsed and dried)

Wash and dry all vegetables.  For the onion, consider quartering and soaking it in ice water in the refrigerator for at least two hours. This will cut the sting and leave only the sweetness. Cut the head of red cabbage in half at the spine.  Cut again into quarters. Shred along the flat side of the cabbage. Place into a salad bowl.  Chop the tomatoes and cucumbers into small, bite-sized pieces and add them to the shredded cabbage.  Finely chop the onion and mint and add those as well.  Add the garbanzo and kidney beans.

Salad Dressing

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 small clove garlic

2 teaspoon coarse salt

Add salt and garlic to a mortar.  Mash them together with a pestle.  To a measuring cup, add olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice.  Transfer garlic mixture to measuring cup and whisk until blended well. Pour over salad and gently toss.