napa cabbage salad with spicy peanut dressing

This recipe is based on one from Deborah Madison’s Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets. It’s a great one to take to a picnic, or to make ahead and serve at a barbecue. It makes a big batch, so you can either make it all and feed it to a crowd, make a half-batch, or make it all and just dress the portion you want to eat at one time, and eat it a couple of nights in a row. (That’s what I do.) This is a fantastic recipe with any kind of grilled fish and some brown rice, especially if you do an Asian marinade on the fish, and maybe serve a fruity salsa on the side.

salad

2 large carrots, peeled (if the skins are tough) and grated
8 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
4 cups slivered lettuce leaves
1 bunch of scallions (including the green tops), sliced thinly
1 cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped mint leaves (optional, but fantastic)
¼ cup chopped Thai basil or sweet basil (optional)
½ cup dry-roasted, salted peanuts, chopped coarsely

dressing

1 jalapeno chile, halved lengthwise, seeds removed with a spoon, and finely diced
½ cup rice vinegar (I prefer brown rice vinegar)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup peanut butter
2-4 tablespoons roasted peanut oil (Loriva brand has great flavor. Don’t use refined peanut oil—it doesn’t have the flavor you want.)

1. Combine the cabbage, lettuce and carrot with the rest of the salad ingredients except the nuts.
2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together, season to taste, and toss with the greens. Taste the salad and add more salt and sugar to taste.
3. Garnish with peanuts and serve.