These are less ‘recipes’; more like guidelines. 

They are not precise - they’re just ideas. When I cook, I like being able to adjust as I go.

The intention here, is to offer up a few casual suggestions that might allow you to fool around a bit; to experiment with new foods or flavor profiles that might be less familiar.

I don’t want you to get caught up in what you might not have - I want you to feel inspired by what you DO, and to feel confident switching things up here and there.

If nothing else, think of them as a handful of ideas that might offer a little relief from wondering what you might cook for dinner. 

Let me know how it goes. 

xx Nahvae

De Puy Lentils, Cucumber Labneh, Roasted Carrots with Garlic Chile Oil / Calabrian Chile (Spicy) Vinaigrette, Feta, Arugula

INGREDIENTS

• Lentils

• Carrots

• Shallots

• Garlic

• Canned or Fresh Tomatoes (optional)

• Chicken Stock / Vegetable Stock (optional)

• Lemon / Lime

• Calabrian Chiles (optional)

• Dried Chiles

• Grapeseed Oil / Olive Oil

• Cucumber

• Labneh (or yogurt)

• Feta

• Arugula

• Herbs (basil, tarragon, mint, dill - optional)

I've been really into lentils lately. I've been cooking them with allium (whatever I have on hand) chicken stock / mushroom stock or if I'm feeling particularly decadent - bone broth - fresh or dried chiles and canned or preserved from summer tomatoes. 

I think they're especially delicious hot; actually - I think they're equally delicious cold. I've been topping them with a pile of herbs and a squeeze of lemon - a fried egg; they’re versatile and rich, I find them easy to digest, quick to make and satisfying.

Substitutions with this one are pretty easy. The carrots in this recipe could be easily swapped for roasted cauliflower, or half of an avocado - or even winter squash if you felt so inclined. I like super spicy deep summer arugula, but you can substitute it for sauteed or massaged kale in the winter, or young mustard greens, spinach - anything you might have around. 

I like De Puy lentils best for this recipe - I like the texture, the color, I like their whole vibe -  but you could easily substitute beluga lentils. I prefer that these particular types of lentils are a little more resilient and cook in a more individuated manner (when cooked properly) and lend themselves more to a lentil 'salad' type situation as a result. 

You can substitute brown lentils, green lentils, but they're a little less tenacious, take on more liquid, and will more than likely (without much of a push) cook down a little further; their texture isn't ideal for a salad, but the flavor will be equally delightful, and they'll be terrific if you take them to the hilt and lean into the texture you achieve by cooking them a little further. If you choose to go in this direction, you might want to consider adding some toasted nuts or seeds to this dish to balance out the texture of the meal as a whole. 

Lentils

So - toss 3 cloves of garlic, 1c. of lentils, 1 shallot (or half an onion), 1x 12 oz can of tomatoes, or 3 blanched and peeled tomatoes (give them a bit of a squeeze to break them apart), 2c. chicken stock, a couple of bay leaves a little thyme and bring the whole thing to a boil; cover, then simmer til the liquid has been cooked off and let them hang out - or if you're aiming to have them cool, tip them out onto a cookie sheet. 

Carrots

Peel (or don't) and cut (or don't) the carrots, toss with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Roast at 400 for 6-8minutes. 

Cucumber Labneh

Grate a cucumber, seeds and all into 1c. labneh. A lot of recipes ask that you strain and squeeze your cucumber, but I like this with the juice. If you’re substituting yogurt - I’d suggest a full fat, thick yogurt or even sour cream and might consider giving the cucumber a bit of a squeeze to drain out some of the liquid. Mince, chop or microplane a clove of garlic and brunoise a shallot. Zest and squeeze a lemon, combine all of the ingredients, season the whole mix with salt and pepper and set it off to the side. 

Sometimes I like to add a little dill to this, tarragon and mint work well too, basil is lovely. 

Chile Oil 

Allow me to say there are a million variations on chile oil. This is one we make with regularity, it serves as a decent base for additions and is pretty neutral, pretty garlicky, not too spicy. Feel free to add to it as you wish - and feel free to share any variations / methods you prefer.

Take 1/4c. garlic and some (4-6ish) toasted guajillo chiles and a couple of arbol chiles (you're welcome to use any kind of dried chile - even just red chile flakes if you like). If you choose the red chile flake option, confit your garlic first, and add the flakes to the hot oil while it cools before blending). 

Simmer the garlic in the 3c. grapeseed or olive oil or a combination of the two for about 7 or so minutes before adding the chiles and allow it to simmer for about 5-8 minutes more, or until the garlic has softened and turned a golden brown and the chiles have risen to the top. Allow the oil to cool. Then blend, seasoning with salt. We typically don't strain our oil unless we’re using it for something super fine - but you can. The solids are lovely added to a vinaigrette like the one we'll make here, a marinade, or just spread on toast. Strained or unstrained, just be sure to keep your oil in the fridge.

Calabrian Chile Vinaigrette

If you don't have fancy calabrian chiles - don't worry. You can still make a lovely vinaigrette without them. If you like spice and have an alternative fresh chile on hand - awesome. If you don't, you can still make this vinaigrette with the chile oil; it just won't be as spicy as you might like. 

Take a fresh shallot, and a splash of vinegar - you can use red or white wine, white distilled/ champagne, sherry, cider, anything on the brighter side; the only vinegar I might avoid for this recipe is balsamic but I can't even say that definitively. It might be delightful.

Take a tablespoon or two of the solids from the chile oil and a quarter cup or more of the oil itself. Add a calabrian chile or two and give it a buzz in the blender - or - brunoise the shallot and chop the fresh chile and whisk. Add a little more oil if you like or need and season it with salt. 

Plate your lentils, top with the carrots, then arugula, drizzle with the vinaigrette and crumble some feta. Squeeze a little lemon or lime, top it all with some herbs if you have them and you're set!

Farro with Roasted Carrots, Green Garlic and Parsley, Radicchio Salad with Toasted Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

• Farro

• Olive oil

• Butter

• Garlic

• Shallot

• Chicken stock (optional)

• Carrots

• Radicchio

• Lime

• Chile (fresh or dry)

• Spices (cumin, coriander, sumac, ancho chile powder)

So - farro is fulllllll of gluten. If you're even mildly gluten intolerant - steer well clear of this recipe.

Farro itself is a wheat (spelt, emmer or einkorn) that has been hulled, though to what extent depends greatly on your source. It's nice to have a bit of the hull in tact so you're able to get all the amazing nutrients it has to offer. 

Best bet is to give your farro an overnight soak so your body has the best chance of digesting it. 

To soak - pop it in a cold water bath overnight, drain it and give it a rinse before cooking. 

In a bit of olive oil and butter, brown a few cloves of peeled and smashed garlic. Add the farro, give it a stir and cook it - 1 part farro to 2 parts liquid. I'm partial to salted chicken stock myself, but you can use whatever you like. 

Peel and cut (or don't) your carrots, toss with a bit of lime zest, lime juice, garlic confit oil (or any other oil of your choice) and season with salt and pepper. 

Roast in the oven at around 400 for just a few minutes - no more than 8. 

Clean your green garlic and slice it thinly - I prefer it at an angle myself - but cut it as you like. 

Sizzle the green garlic in a bit of butter and oil over high heat in a saute pan, set aside. 

In a small sauce pan, confit a couple of shallots - as whole as you're able and toss them with the carrots. 

Trim the bottom off of a head of radicchio, quartering it or peeling the leaves and keeping them whole. Toss the cooked farro with a bit of red wine or sherry vinegar, and a little garlic confit oil, salt and pepper and mound it atop the radicchio. Top with the carrots, the green garlic and a stack of chopped parsley leaves and stems.

For the vinaigrette, toast about a half cup of pumpkin seeds in a 325 oven for about 12 -15 min. 

Blend with a couple of cloves of garlic confit, a shallot, a serrano chile (or any kind of chile), adding the juice of two limes, a dash of white vinegar, and grapeseed oil, salt and pepper - you can add a little toasted cumin, coriander, sumac, ancho chile powder … do whatever suits you. 

If it needs to be thinned out a bit - drizzle in a little water as you blend, aiming to keep the vinaigrette emulsified. (Note: for another dish - this vinaigrette is delicious with an avocado and a bunch of cilantro - you can add tomatillos too and build a sauce out of it. Pumpkin seeds are awesome, a rad source of protein and an amazing sauce thickener. They add a little heft - but still manage to be mellow and airy, with a beautiful flavor that isn't as overwhelming as nuts can be. Big fan over here.)

Drizzle the whole dish with a bit of the vinaigrette, give it a squeeze of lime and serve with a piece of cod, or merguez.

POLENTA

INGREDIENTS

• Milk

• Water / Stock

• Butter

• Salt

• Cornmeal

• Cheese

• Allium (shallot, garlic, onion, leek, ramp, green garlic)

DIRECTIONS

This one is by special request!

So - I have a feeling this is one of those dishes where there is a ‘right’ way. I’m not sure that this is it. In fact - I’m pretty sure this is not it. That said, this is the way I was taught / and how we make it when we do.

We most commonly use a red cornmeal; Bloody Butcher, from Castle Valley Mill - the variety we use is a solid ‘medium’ in terms of coarseness - but any kind of cornmeal will do. Fine, coarse - it all depends on what kind of texture you prefer and will determine how long it takes to cook.

I make ours with milk and stock - but you can absolutely make it without either and substitute water for both.

This one requires some ratios - so, to keep it easy, I’ll make some more detailed notes about quantity and process.

Basics are: 4:1 liquid to cornmeal.

If you’re hoping for a super smooth polenta - you have a few options.

You can follow steps One and Two outlined below and strain the solids out before whisking in your cornmeal. You can leave them in, whisk away, and accept a more textured polenta. Or - If you’re feeling particularly casual about it - you can leave them, whisk, and then finish with the immersion blender to get that super smooth finish.

I doubt very much that the immersion blender step is ‘traditional’ and imagine it’s very likely frowned upon - but it keeps things less loaded and as a result, less stressful. If it gets lumpy, which it may well do - you can get it to where you want it to be without getting too upset. I say - indulge in whatever method feels good to you.

Step One: sweat about 1c. finely diced onion or leek, garlic, shallot or ramp in about 3-4 tablespoons of butter.

Step Two: add 2c. milk and 2c. stock, salt (quantity here depends on if your stock is salted) - and bring to a boil.

This is the point to strain out your solids, should you so desire.

Slowly whisk in 1c. of cornmeal and drop the heat to the lowest simmer possible. It’s important that you whisk and whisk and whisk so as to eliminate any lumps, or potential lumps (bearing in mind, that you have very casually given yourself permission to use the immersion blender should lumps appear).

Cover, and simmer for 15 min to 1 hour, depending on the coarseness of your cornmeal. You’ll want to check it and whisk it frequently so the bottom doesn’t scorch.

Note:

Hot polenta is exceptionally hot. Like - very, very hot. It can bubble up / pop a bit in the pot even while on the simmeriest of simmers. So be particularly careful when removing the lid and while whisking.

Once it’s cooked, and your polenta is as smooth as you’d like it to be, you can skip along to step Three.

Alternatively, now is the time to use that immersion blender to smooth it out. Don’t sub the immersion blender for a regular blender. Should blending be the path you choose - just be mindful to do it thoroughly, but quickly. You don’t want to over-blend. It might sound like a solid round with the blender will make it even smoother - but it won’t. It’ll just end up sad and gummy. So be quick.

Step Three: season to taste with salt and pepper, add about 2 more tablespoons of butter and 1/2c. of cheese if you’re feeling especially decadent.

Since this is already so very rich - I figure why not lean in all the way.

I like it with braised meat or mushroom ragout, then topped with something herbaceous, raw and acidic.

marinated beets with horseradish, greens and Labneh

INGREDIENTS

• Beets (any kind will do)

• Shallots / Onion

• Vinegar (I prefer white wine, red wine or sherry - but even just distilled white will do)

• Olive Oil (or garlic confit oil)

• Parsley

• Horseradish (fresh is best in my opinion, but prepared works too)

• Salt / Pepper

• Greens (I prefer a light, young green - or the greens of the beets - anything will work)

• Labneh (though you could easily substitute yogurt or ricotta)

• Toasted walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Wash the beets, then gently boil them, covered, in more water than you might think. Timing will depend on their size, but you do want to make sure they’re cooked - well - perfectly. You want to be sure you can easily pierce them all the way through. Once they’re done, rinse with cool water then peel them. The skin should easily rub right off - but if for some reason it doesn’t - use a vegetable peeler to clean them up.

Wedge them or dice - cut however you like, really. Toss with olive oil or garlic oil (or walnut oil if you’re feeling very fancy. I love this with walnut oil.)

For every 4 tennis ball sized beets - I’d use a single shallot or half an onion. Texturally, I prefer a very small dice, or relatively thinly shaved, but a thin slice works just as well. Toss in a splash of the vinegar and a healthy amount of salt. If you’ve opted for the walnut oil - I’d recommend using champagne, white, or white wine vinegar here, or the subtlety of the walnut oil will be lost. Grate the horseradish into the mix. For every shallot/half onion - I’d recommend 2Tb grated, fresh horseradish.

Toss the beets with the onion/shallot/horseradish mix, then add parsley (chopped or picked). Plate your labneh ( I usually spread out a few dollops) top with your greens (sauteed or steamed or raw), pile your beets on top of those greens, and serve with a handful of crushed toasted walnuts and a pinch of salt.

sausage salad

INGREDIENTS

• Sausage - mild, spicy

• Olive Oil

• Shallot, Onion, Garlic, any kind of allium

• Kale, Spinach, Arugula, Chard, pretty much any kind of green

• Mushrooms (if you have them)

DIRECTIONS

Ah. A classic.

We used to make this one using spicy turkey sausage from the farmer’s market. It’s easy, it’s fast, it’s super satisfying and you don’t feel as terrible as you might after eating a pile of sausage because you also ate a pile of greens!

You can add whatever you might like to it - I like radishes for some crunch, or a piece of toast to soak up the bits. Sometimes we add an egg, but it’s often a bit much.

Saute your allium in just a touch of olive oil - add your mushrooms and cook til they’re caramelized, and browned. Add the sausage - breaking it up a fair amount til it’s crisped up and cooked through - and toss over your greens while still piping hot.

zucchini Noodles and/or pasta with Zucchini Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• Zucchini

• Shallot / Onion 

• Garlic

• Lemon 

• Olive Oil

• Salt

• Pasta

• Mandolin (Preferred but not necessary. If not the mandolin - I would suggest you have reasonable knife skills, or a ton of patience; I possess neither. So it's the mandolin for me.)

• Optional: Feta / Parmesan / Pine nuts / Crushed Walnuts / Peppers / Radicchio / Mushrooms

DIRECTIONS

Zucchini - though generally considered a Summer phenom - is actually coming into season now, apparently. 

We make zucchini 'noodles' a fair amount. I get it. Gluten can be tricky for people.

I like the texture of a zucchini noodle - but I also like pasta.  

We make this sauce to accompany either, or both together. By doing this, the seedier center bits of the zucchini don't go to waste - and instead - turn into a deliciously creamy accompaniment. 

I prefer the mandolin with its medium toothy attachment for the reasons listed above. Don't judge me. Know thyself, yes? 

Please note - you can make this sauce - you can make this whole dish - without the mandolin. You can hand slice your noodles, you'll just have to be patient. Or you can skip the 'noodles' and cut the zucchini however you like and make the sauce for zucchini medallions, or skip the medallions and make it a sauce for pasta - or anything else, for that matter. You decide. 

If you have a mandolin, but it scares you - I understand. It's often a 'once burned, twice shy' kind of situation. The key is to be focused, without distraction and blazingly confident. You're in charge. Don't try to carry on a conversation, don't try to check your email. You will, at some point, probably cut yourself pretty badly and it will be a real bummer. But once you're comfortable, you'll nick yourself with less frequency, and you'll notice it really only ever happens if you're rushing or distracted. 

If you have - like so many of us, have lost the attachments, it just means you have to hand cut the noodles you've sliced. This will absolutely test one's patience - but probably won't break you. I'm very comfortable with a mandolin per my crappy knife skills. I love the precision and consistency. For this particular ‘recipe’ I use it in a particularly sketchy way. It's likely very ill-advised - but I'm aiming for transparency. I encourage you to do what makes you comfortable. 

I'm right handed. I hold the mandolin in my left hand, and rather than stabilizing it against the table, I hold it parallel to the zucchini, which is held lengthwise in my right. I work the mandolin and the zucchini in opposite directions against one another so the length of the zucchini isn't compromised by the length of the mandolin. 

Super. Sketchy. 

Whichever method you employ, be sure you stop slicing before you get to the seedy interior. The seeds will make your ‘noodles’ mushy. At this point - you'll quarter turn the zucchini and continue to slice - stopping before you hit those seeds. Do that again and again, til you've worked all the way round the zucchini(s). You can do this with the attachment or without. If you're doing it without - you'll end up with zucchini ribbons. You'll stack those and slice with a knife, as evenly and 'noodle-like' as you're able. Soak the zucchini noodles in very cold water briefly - lift, drain and dry. Set aside. 

Take the mid bits of the zucchini and chop them up. Add a bit of onion, a bit of garlic and cook all together with a bit of olive oil in a small pot until they begin to brown. Zest and squeeze a lemon into the pot - add a little water or a little white wine or beer if you have it handy. Let it all cook until tender. 

In the meantime - if you're making this with pasta - now is the time to cook that pasta. Toss the hot pasta with the zucchini noodles and a bit of olive oil and salt - a little more lemon zest if you’re into that.

If you're adding anything else - get it ready - and set it off to the side. 

I like this pasta with radicchio; I put the torn leaves on the bottom, warm pasta on top. The bitterness with the density of the pasta, and the sweetness of the zucchini takes it to the next level for me. 

I'll add mushrooms to virtually anything. You could sweat and marinate them with a touch of vinegar and aromatic; or you could just as easily saute or roast them. 

Grate or crumble some cheese / toast some nuts, slice some chiles - whatever you like. 

Once the zucchini sauce is cooked (it shouldn't take more than 20 min) pop all the bits from your pot in the blender, starting slowly and working your way up to high. Add a little extra EVOO or a touch of water to emulsify. Season to taste with more lemon, salt and pepper. 

Toss your zucchini noodles, or the pasta with zucchini noodles or medallions in the sauce, and top with whatever other ingredients you've chosen to add!

potato and green garlic soup with herbed breadcrumbs

INGREDIENTS

• Potato

• Olive oil

• Green garlic

• Shallots

• Cauliflower / Turnips / Sunchokes / Zucchini

• Butter

• Stock - or water

• Salt

• Pepper

• Cream if you have it

• Parsley / Chives / Rosemary / Thyme

• Lemon

DIRECTIONS

I love green garlic. 

To me - it's an indication that Spring is right round the corner. It isn't. It's still weeks away. But it makes me feeeeel like it's near. Which - at some point in March is often enough. 

So for me -  soups, and other warm dishes with a touch of this fresher, brighter garlic offer a bit of a bridge between the drawn out epic end Winter and the edges of Spring. It's decidedly not Spring yet - but it's almost here. Were it one of those weirdly warm psych out days - you could also have this soup chilled - like a vichyssoise. If it's still 39 degrees and gloomy - you can have it hot. 

I like the addition of the turnip, sunchoke or cauliflower to lighten the potato up a bit - for me - it keeps it the dish from being too heavy. 

Saute a couple of stalks of green garlic (trim the tips, peel back the first layer, and chop the white and light green parts - up to the edges where it starts to get leafy and darker (don't discard those green bits - we'll use them for the breadcrumbs) and a couple of shallots in a fair amount of butter and oil. You want it to caramelize a bit - so be sure to use enough fat, and cook them slowly over medium heat, stirring regularly.  

Peel and rough chop your potatoes. For the sake of reasonable ratios - let's say 3-4  fist sized potatoes.

When you add the other veg - whatever it might be - keep the ratio about even. So - equal parts potato / other veg. But don't sweat it if you don't have exactly equivalent measures. It's fine. 

If you have turnips - add a couple of those. If you have sunchokes (awesome :)) peel and add a few of those. If you have cauliflower - add about ½ a head; zucchini - one or two. 

Cover with about 2-3 quarts of stock - chicken or vegetable - whatever you prefer or have on hand - if you don't have either - that's ok - you can use water. If you have a sprig of thyme - toss it in there. If you have a bay leaf or three - toss those in there too. If you have a bit of parsley - add that too.  The goal is to have the liquid cover the solids 2:1. So - a lot of liquid. 

Cover - bring to a boil and let it simmer for about an hour or two. Remove it from the heat and let it cool. 

If you've put some thyme bay and parsley in there - remove them. 

Breadcrumbs are relatively easy!

You'll take some older bread. 4 handfuls. Tear it up into tiny pieces. Toast it in the oven to dry it out at roughly 325 - 350.

While it’s toasting, heat about 1c. olive oil, thyme, rosemary (if you have it) - and a bit finely chopped green garlic greens - lemon zest if you're able - in a pan over low heat. If you have no herbs - that's ok. Just warm up the oil with what you have. Take this oil - toss the toasted bread in it til it's pretty well saturated, salt and pepper it  - and toast it again in the oven. Once it’s fully toasted - golden brown - remove and let it cool. Crush with a rolling pin or pop it in a food processor to pulse; toss the crumbs with some fresh parsley and chives (if you have them) and check your seasoning. 

Blend the soup, emulsifying it with a slow drizzle of heavy cream if you have it on hand, and seasoning with salt and pepper. It should be smooth - and relatively thin. I'll sometimes pass this through a wide mesh sieve if I'm looking for a particularly velvety soup. Which is almost always. 

I’ll occasionally poach an egg and toss it in the hot soup - it’s rich and amazing. Serve the soup with the breadcrumbs on top for a phenomenal textural and seasonal hybrid.

Cucumber and Lemon salad

INGREDIENTS

• cucumber

• lemon

• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cut your cucumbers however you like. You can slice them, dice them… whatever you like. 

I've been doing roll cuts with these tiny cukes. Cut on an angle, rotate, cut again. If I'm honest - I've been doing roll cuts with veg in general these days. I’m into the texture. 

Toss the cucumbers in a bowl with a bit of salt and pepper. Halve a lemon, lay it on your board, cut side down - and slice it as thin as you're able, discarding the seeds. If you don't like an extreme burst of lemon (I find it a pleasant and tart surprise amidst all that cucumber - but get it if you don't)  you can always zest and juice your lemon instead. 

Toss the lemon in with the cucumber in about a 4:1 ratio / cucumber: lemon. 

From here - you can jazz it up however you like!

I like to shave a little onion - maybe shave a clove of garlic. 

Add feta

Add olives

Add parsley 

Drizzle with tahini

Add chiles (any kind will do - I like something really bright and green)

Add toasted sesame

Add radishes

Add dill

You could - theoretically - add it all. And have it over quinoa or lentils - add an egg, add avocado, add arugula, or spinach. It's versatile. Go nuts.

Shaved Cabbage and radishes with lime juice, garlic confit oil, cilantro and chiles

INGREDIENTS

• Cabbage

• Radishes

• Limes

• Garlic

• Olive Oil

• Cilantro

• Chiles

• Salt

DIRECTIONS

Shave Cabbage on a mandolin. If you don’t have a mandolin - that’s ok. You can do it by hand. Just make it super thin. 

Same with your radishes - only do these a little thicker than you think. 

Lately, I’ve been slicing them a touch thicker on the mandolin and hand cutting into batons. I like the texture; I guess I could use the tooth insert on the mandolin - but I feel like it’s less efficient. I could be wrong.  

If you’re working with little radishes like French Breakfast or your standard red radish, just cut them into tiny even wheels or tiny little wedges. 

Finely slice, or seed and mince your chiles. Use the amount that seems right based on how spicy you like things and how much you’re working with. 

If you don’t have them - skip the radishes or chiles. If you have an onion handy, you can add it or substitute it for either. Kohlrabi is also awesome here - you cab sub it for the radishes or for the cabbage! You can sub the limes for lemons or even for oranges - it’ll change the acidity - but that’s ok! You can adjust. If you’re not into cilantro - that’s ok too - you don’t actually neeeeed it - I just LOVE it. 

If you’re working with what’s listed here - you’ll juice your limes, toss the radishes, chiles and cabbage with the lime juice and a bit of salt. 

While it sits - make your garlic confit. 

Take about 1cup of raw garlic and cover it with 2cups of olive oil or grapeseed oil or another neutral oil. I prefer olive oil that’s not too fancy, myself. The garlic sweetens the oil a bit, makes it a bit less bitter and the flavor or the garlic itself, softens too.

Simmer both together over the lowest heat until the garlic is golden brown and soft. 

Draw off enough oil to comfortably dress your cabbage. Take what remains, cool it - pop it in the fridge (make sure to store it there) and use it for anything you like further down the road. It’s delicious smashed on toast with a bit of salt. Great for salad dressing, too. 

You’ll take the oil you reserved, toss the radishes and cabbage with it. 

Check again for acidity and check for salt (I like a fair amount of acidity, less of salt). 

The salt, acid and oil take a little bit of the ‘raw’ off of the cabbage so it’s a bit easier to digest. 

Top with SO MUCH CHOPPED CILANTRO.

This is particularly tasty with chicken fat rice and avocado. Simple but so delicious. Hot rice - cool, crunchy slaw, avocado and a bit of salt. 

Sometimes I like to fry or poach an egg and let the yolk run through the slaw. 

I think it’s a nice pairing with anything fatty, rich or deeply spicy. 

You could serve it with hot and spicy roasted chicken - I’m partial to thighs, or some braised pork shoulder (or belly).