Pickled Slaw. The perfect condiment for…. everything.

My most recent food obsession is vinegar. So much vinegar. I can’t get enough. We go through an entire costco size bottle of rice vinegar in just a few weeks, cider vinegar is gone in a matter of days, we put pickled things on eeeeverything. The balance of sour and acidic against sweet, salty, and spicy. Meals are starting to taste bland without a douse of vinegar. Rice, noodles, salad, sandwiches, and pretty much… everything else. Tonight’s condiment of choice is pickled napa cabbage slaw with radishes (which are huge beasts right now by the way), with beets for a bitter edge and of course the lovely color.

Pickled Slaw        yields:  enough!

2 cup                apple cider vinegar

2 cup                water

2 TB                  salt

2 tsp                 sugar

1 tsp                 black peppercorns

1 tsp                 fennel seeds

1                       shallot, smashed

1                       small beet, chopped

1/2                    head of napa cabbage

1-2                    really gigantic radishes (or, you know, a few small ones)

-Bring the liquid to a simmer with the beets and then set aside while you cut the vegetables. Cool the liquid to room temperature.

-Slice the daikon and napa cabbage into thin rounds/shreds.

-Once the liquid has come down to room temperature remove the beets and pour it over your cabbage and radishes. For this particular recipe I like to keep the vegetables crispy for sandwiches, tacos, as a side dish for rice and beans, and whatever else your heart desires: hence the cooling of the liquids before marinating.

-If necessary cover the cabbage mixture with plastic wrap and place something heavy on top to ensure the cabbage is submerged. Make sure it’s getting niiiiice and soaked.

-Allow the mix to marinate for about 45 mins to one hour, then add it to everything you can think of!