Fall Salad With Cabbage, Fennel, Manchego, And Candied Pepitas

Shortly after making the candied pepitas last week, I threw them into a salad with shaved cabbage, fennel, greens and Manchego. It’s been years since I’ve made the effort to candy a nut or seed to throw into a salad, and I’ve forgotten how delicious and festive they are, this time of year especially.

Use the recipe below as guide. Here, I’ve used both vinegar and fresh citrus in my favorite shallot vinaigrette , but you if you don’t have an orange on hand, you can keep it simple. Here, cabbage and fennel are mixed with some tender greens and baby kale, but change the composition to your liking: slivered endive would be delicious as would thinly sliced apple or pear or segments of orange or a sprinkling of pomegranate arils. Shaved Manchego (though blue cheese or parmesan would be nice, too) plus the candied pepitas make the dregs of this salad pretty irresistible.

I don’t think a Thanksgiving salad needs to be anything more than greens plus a light dressing, but if you’re up for taking it a step further, this is a good option.

PS: More Thanksgiving ideas here.

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup finely minced shallot

• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

• juice of one orange

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 to 1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced

• 1 head fennel, thinly sliced

• 3 to 4 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

• a few handfuls of other greens: baby kale, arugula, whatever looks good

• candied pepitas , optional

• shaved Manchego to taste

• fresh cracked pepper to taste

1. Make the dressing: Place the shallots, vinegar, juice, and salt in a small bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup of the olive oil. Taste. Adjust with more olive oil to taste — there should be nice balance of sweet and sharp in the dressing, and it will be on the thin side.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, fennel, scallions, greens, candied pepitas, shaved Manchego, and pepper. Pour over some of the dressing. Toss. Taste. Adjust with more dressing or salt or pepper to taste.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Toss
• Cuisine: American

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup finely minced shallot

• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

• juice of one orange

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 to 1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced

• 1 head fennel, thinly sliced

• 3 to 4 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

• a few handfuls of other greens: baby kale, arugula, whatever looks good

• candied pepitas , optional

• shaved Manchego to taste

• fresh cracked pepper to taste

1. Make the dressing: Place the shallots, vinegar, juice, and salt in a small bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup of the olive oil. Taste. Adjust with more olive oil to taste — there should be nice balance of sweet and sharp in the dressing, and it will be on the thin side.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, fennel, scallions, greens, candied pepitas, shaved Manchego, and pepper. Pour over some of the dressing. Toss. Taste. Adjust with more dressing or salt or pepper to taste.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Toss
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2017/11/14/fall-salad-cabbage-fennel-manchego-candied-pepitas/

Last week I made a candied pepitas recipe from the November Food and Wine , omitting the spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne) and, after a few attempts, slightly changing the method: instead of toasting the seeds with the sugar, I toasted the pepitas alone first, melted the sugar afterwards, then combined the two.

The method in the original recipe worked just fine, but I found it left the seeds coated in crystalized sugar. When the sugar melts separately until it becomes a light caramel, it glosses rather than crusts the seeds — make sense? Here, as soon as the seeds mix with the melted sugar, they clump into a mass, and after it cools, you can break it into clusters, which are not only pretty, but also user friendly: easy to pluck from a cheese board or snack bowl.

I’ve been throwing these candied pepitas into salads, which feels very early 2000’s, but never mind: they’re so good. I love them in this salad in particular with shaved cabbage, fennel, and Manchego . As alluded to above, they’re also a great addition to a cheese board, salty-sweet clusters that complement mild and stinky cheeses alike. If you’ve ever wondered how to elevate your cheese board arrangement, here’s your answer. Did I mention these require three ingredients and 10 minutes of work?

Friends, Thanksgiving is right around the corner — are you ready? I’m getting there. I’ve signed up to make punch and a few pies ( this one and this one and I think a pecan pie made without corn syrup … more soon) and now these pepitas and this salad for Thanksgiving in CT with my family. I currently have a turkey dry brining — test run! — in my fridge. I’ll keep you posted.

Question: Do you brine your turkey?

PS: ALL the Thanksgiving Recipes Right Here .

Raw pumpkin seeds:

Melt sugar in a large skillet till…

it turns light brown:

Add seeds and salt and stir:

Transfer to a sheet pan:

Break into clusters:

If you want looser clusters, cook the sugar for less time:

Description

Three ingredients, 10 minutes of work, a salty-sweet treat to snack on all winter — what’s not to love? These are great on a cheese board and excellent in a salad, this one in particular .

Notes:

For really tightly bound clusters, cook your sugar longer; for looser clusters, cook your sugar less. This will take a bit of trial and error to get right.

Also, the seeds will remain mostly in clusters but will eventually break into small, individual pieces. There’s no avoiding this. I like to save the clusters for cheese boards and use the small pieces for salads.

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt such as Maldon or 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, toast the pepitas until they turn light brown, begin to pop, and smell fragrant. Stir frequently as the seeds toast. Transfer to a plate to cool.
2. In the same skillet melt the sugar without stirring — shake the pan if necessary to distribute the sugar in an even layer. When it turns evenly golden or amber, turn off the heat, add the toasted pepitas and sea salt, and stir to combine with a heatproof spatula. When the pepitas all clump together, transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Once cool enough to handle, break into pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for weeks.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American