David Lebovitz/ Salad/ Savory

Raw Vegetable Slaw with Creamy Garlic Dressing

Raw vegetable slaw is not something I gravitate to. Maybe I’m not a big fan of cabbage that makes up the majority of slaw salads. When I first saw the long list of ingredients in David Lebovitz’s recipe in My Paris Kitchen we were supposed to make and blog this week at Cook the Book Fridays, I was bewildered. It was a relief after reading further that we could just pick a few of the vegetables on the list. The choice is extensive and exciting. Cabbage, radicchio, Belgian endive, carrots, beets, apples, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, fennel, kohlrabi, and avocados.

I like going to the local farmers markets and get the freshest seasonal produce I can find. Lately, I’m been getting a lot of kale, chard and beets. I picked up some kohlrabi last time. That would be the core ingredient for the slaw.

It took a while to peel and cut the kohlrabi in matchsticks. I didn’t mind that in the beginning, as an exercise to improve my knife skill, which needs improvement, to say the least. But it was getting to be a long and tedious job.

I added fennel, carrots and avocado, vegetables I always have around, to the slaw. I took out the mandolin to slice the fennel and rediscovered the julienne feature that I haven’t used for so long that I’ve forgotten about it. I used that to cut up another kohlrabi. I have to tell you: that’s the best way I’ve found to cut vegetables into matchstick slices, a neat trick for those who are chef-knife challenged. It was no chore at all to cut up perfect kohlrabi matchsticks with the mandolin slicer. It took very little time to do.

For herbs, I used parsley, dill and a small amount of the remaining chervil leaves I found in my herb patch. All that’s left to do is to make the dressing. I took out the store bought mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard and ground black pepper. I didn’t bother with any measuring devise in the manner befitting of the carefree summer spirit. Poured in a little of this, sprinkled a little of that until the dressing tasted balanced and flavorful. I left the dressing on the side so everyone can put in as little or as much as one would like.

The creamy garlic dressing works wonder with the slaw. The minced garlic is the star. It adds a welcoming pungent flavor to the raw vegetables. Kohlrabi works better for me in a slaw than cabbage. It has a crisp and delicate flavor that plays well with the garlic dressing and the avocado. This is a light and lovely slaw that I would enjoy throughout the summer. For the next raw vegetable slaw, I am thinking of making a radicchio, beets with hard-boiled eggs some time soon.

Kohlrabi, fennel, carrot slaw with avocado and herbs

I am also linking this post to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

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13 Comments

  • Reply
    Mardi Michels
    July 1, 2016 at 12:47 pm

    I love the combo of veggies you chose 🙂

  • Reply
    Nicole
    July 1, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    Ah the mandoline. I should have used mine. Again, wasn't quite with it. Yours looks great!

  • Reply
    Nicole
    July 1, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    Ah the mandoline. I should have used mine. Again, wasn't quite with it. Yours looks great!

  • Reply
    Nana
    July 2, 2016 at 12:22 am

    I agree with Mardi, I like your selection of veggies. I have never had a kohlrabi but it sounds interesting. This was a very
    enjoyable slaw, but I think the creamy dressing really made it a winner.

  • Reply
    Teresa
    July 2, 2016 at 11:03 pm

    You chose a lovely combination of vegetables! I've resisted buying a mandoline, as I'm notoriously clumsy, but when I'm making a salad like this, I start to reconsider. That dressing is wonderful and I love your description of making it – your line about "the carefree summer spirit" is a perfect description of au pif cooking!

  • Reply
    Betsy
    July 4, 2016 at 1:49 am

    This whole salad is "befitting of the carefree summer spirit"! I love that it can be made with whatever's freshest right now. This will work well with my CSA share's contents throughout the year. I particularly love kohlrabi in the spring when it's so sweet and tender. Happy holiday weekend!

  • Reply
    KB from Prof Who Cooks
    July 4, 2016 at 1:42 pm

    Ooooh, what a great combo and the way you describe it is fantastic! I agree that the ingredient list is daunting until you realize it's a whatever-you've-got-available kind of thing. Glad it worked out for you–I loved the dressing, too!

  • Reply
    lisa brown
    July 5, 2016 at 9:27 am

    You chose a great combo, I rarely use kohlrabi – but this is a great choice for it.

  • Reply
    Emily
    July 5, 2016 at 5:14 pm

    What a lovely post! I made the slaw trice already and used almost different vegetables each time! And great idea you have on leaving the dressing on the side – good job!

  • Reply
    Kathy
    July 9, 2016 at 2:02 pm

    Your salad looks beautiful! I love that you added avocado…I plan on doing that next time!

  • Reply
    Deb in Hawaii
    July 9, 2016 at 11:10 pm

    You make me want to cook with kolrabi–it is mostly uncharted veggie territory for me! 😉 I like the mix of veggies and herbs that you used in this slaw and that creamy garlic dressing sounds delicious.

    Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays this week too!

  • Reply
    Mary Hirsch
    July 9, 2016 at 11:18 pm

    I also used a mandoline for the fennel, kohlrabi and radishes and shredded the red cabbage That made the job a lot easier. Although I need practice on my knife skills also, I always seem to be in a hurry to get the meal made. Working on my knife skills is not in my mind. I did enjoy this raw slaw as much as you did. I think we all like the smorgasbord of veggies and choosing what we liked or had on hand. It was a good week for CtBFs.

  • Reply
    Renee @ Kitchen Conundrum
    July 24, 2016 at 4:39 pm

    Excellent vegetable choices! I love how versatile this slaw is and how good the dressing tastes.

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