RECIPE
The ingredients might seem a little mismatched at first, but together they create a flavor that is quintessential fall and ultra fresh. Crisp apples, cabbage, kale, and garden herbs meet toasted walnuts and sesame seeds, so there’s mad crunch in every bite. The miso (and sesame seeds) borrow from Kenji López-Alt’s Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette, which is conceptually transformed here into a brighter, creamier lemon-umami essence, enhanced with the perfect sweetness of golden raisins. The entire medley of crispy and crunchy ingredients, drenched in this miso elixir, creates a robustly fresh salad that is addictive and healthy with the comfort of fall in every bite.
For the dressing:
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon light white miso paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
3 cloves garlic
1 small shallot
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Herbal Roots Fall salt or regular kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
For the salad:
3 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup confetti-chopped lacinato kale leaves (stems removed)
½ – ¾ cup confetti-chopped chicory (optional)
â…“ cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves
2-3 sage leaves, finely chopped
3–4 scallions, thinly sliced
1–2 medium carrots, mandoline sliced or thinly sliced
2 apples, mandoline sliced or thinly sliced from quarters
¼ cup red walnuts, toasted and chopped
Chopped soaked raisins (reserved from the dressing)
2 lemons
¼ cup toasted white sesame seeds.
Soak the raisins in the white balsamic vinegar for about an hour, until they plump up. Strain them and reserve the vinegar. Divide the raisins in half, chop half of them into tiny bits, and set aside for the salad. Combine the remaining whole raisins, white balsamic, miso, lemon juice, honey or maple syrup, garlic, shallot, olive oil, and salt in a blender and blend until creamy. Season with freshly ground white pepper and salt to taste. It should taste very robust and sharp at this point, but also a little sweet.
You can also make the dressing by hand: finely mince the remaining raisins, garlic, and shallot, then whisk them together with the white balsamic, miso, lemon juice, honey or maple syrup, and salt, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking vigorously until the dressing emulsifies.
For the salad:
Combine all the salad ingredients, including the remaining chopped raisins, in a big mixing bowl. Juice 2 lemons over them and toss until everything is mixed. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Toss with a little of the dressing to desired drenching! Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top and a tiny pinch of Herbal Roots fall salt.
Any cabbage works here: red, green, cone, or savoy. It can be shredded or chopped, but cutting it into small squares gives the best balance of texture and flavor, with each piece catching just the right amount of dressing.
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