Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Toasted Bread Crumbs and Parmesan
A no recipe required salad that's endlessly adaptable
The concept for this salad is so simple and adaptable to any kind of veggies you like, with or without the cabbage. And, it’s an excellent way to use up leftover bread. Here’s what we’ve got going on here:
Cabbage and veggies cooked at very high heat until charred (you could also do this on a Blackstone griddle or a grill).
Drizzle the veggies with a basic vinaigrette.
Top with crispy garlic bread crumbs and some parmesan cheese.
The result is a very satisfying salad with so much flavor and a plenty of crunch. It’s delicious served with almost anything but is also hearty enough to serve all on its own. How much you make is up to you, but be sure to make enough bread crumbs to include a generous proportion of crispy crumbs to veggies.
Super Easy Basic Vinaigrette
Making a basic vinaigrette takes about 5 minutes, allows you to make only as much as you need, and is a kind of blank slate for incorporating whatever flavors you like.
At it’s most basic a vinaigrette is nothing more than oil and vinegar (or citrus juice). Oil and vinegar do not like to combine and honestly, you don’t have to combine them at all. You could simply drizzle your salad with a bit of oil followed by some vinegar. Or stir oil and vinegar together in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper, drizzle that over your salad and be done with it.
However, if you don’t do something to emulsify the vinegar and oil (force them to combine), you’ll end up with oil clinging to the top of your salad and all the vinegar pooling at the bottom of your plate or bowl. Also, the greens in your salad will wilt faster.
In contrast, an emulsified vinaigrette clings to salad greens, providing an actual “dressing” that flavors each and every bite. It also keeps the greens crisp and fresh tasting for longer.
So, taking a moment to fully emulsify vinegar or lemon juice and oil is essential to a salad that’s crisp, fresh tasting, and full of whatever flavor you’re hoping to get from the vinaigrette.
The easiest way to emulsify a vinaigrette is to include a surfactant - an ingredient that attracts both water (vinegar) and oil.
There are three surfactants that work well in vinaigrette: mustard, mayonnaise, and honey. I like to use a little bit of all three. Here’s the basic ratio:
2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon each of mustard, honey, and mayonnaise
Additional flavoring: chopped shallots, salt and pepper + anything else you want to add. At the moment, I’m obsessed with adding some crushed roasted almonds that I’ve pulverized in the food processor. OMG, it’s so good! Here’s a list of more flavoring ideas.
How to make it: Add the vinegar or lemon juice to a bowl and add the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, shallots (if using), salt and pepper, and any other flavorings you’re adding. Use a fork to whisk it all together then pour in the oil while continuing to whisk. In mere seconds, the dressing will come together in a delicious, creamy sauce that will cling to your salad and flavor each and every bite.
Gorgeous salad!