While pumpkins are jinga-linging and monsters are sleigh-bell ringing, I’d like to cling tightly to an emotional support apple for a minute or two. I love decking the halls and scaring the neighbors, dressed like a chicken with an axe, just like everyone else, but it’s still apple season as far as I’m concerned. And I’m very, very concerned.
So, in addition to some chicken soup and bread, I made an apple salad/slaw that’s in the spirit of cozy pumpkin season, but it’s really apples and the last slivers of sunlight before the hay wagon runs off the rails and sends us all hurtling toward the great big punchbowl in the sky.
In other words, I’m ready to pull into the slaw lane, and I’m bringing an apple or two for support.
Here’s the recipe:
Slaw Down Apple Salad (Serves 2-3 people as a side dish)
1 head of radicchio chopped
2 Granny Smith apples washed and sliced thinly. You can peel them if you want, but I left the peel for color.
1 can of sliced water chestnuts (drained)
½ cup of thinly sliced carrots
Cheese—I used 2-3 wedges of sliced Laughing Cow cheese, but you can use brie or parmesan cheese ribbons would work out nicely
¼-1/2 cup of lightly seasoned Japanese rice vinegar
Mix everything in a bowl. You can let it marinate a little, but it’s best served right away.
Results: This side dish tastes almost like a pickled salad, but without the wait. And it’s crunchy, salty, and a little sweet. I might add raisins next time, since the radicchio was a bit on the bitter side. More sweetness would help.
Serve this dish with:
- A late-night movie on a school night
- The last popsicle in the fridge
- The shorts you grew out of over summer
- Someone’s flip-flops
- A big bowl of leaves that are still green
- Your summer crush from camp
Your Turn: Which season(s) do you try to hold onto a little longer?
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 