I’m guessing that cabbage is not the first thing that comes to mind when you want a salad. Ok, I’ll give you that but this is worth a try. A common Italian style dish, this has a great combination of flavors that just work and the crunch is very satisfying. I usually make a big batch and we eat on it all week but I wait to “assemble” it. By that I mean that I’ll dress the cabbage, crisp the prosciutto and shave the Parmesan fresh. That gets added right before we eat.
We use walnut oil in this although we toast pistachio. You could toast walnuts which we tried but the flavor of pistachio was just so much better and I wouldn’t change out the walnut oil, it adds the kind of nutty, earthy flavor you want.
Cabbage Pistachio Salad with Prosciutto and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 Fennel Bulbs thinly sliced
- 1/2 Cabbage Any green cabbage will work, at least 4 cups thinly sliced
- 1 Medium Radicchio Thinly sliced
- 2 Endive Thinly sliced
- 1 cup Parmesan shavings
- 8-10 Slices Prosciutto Oven baked until crisp
- 1/2 cup Pistachio nuts, shelled Toasted and chopped
Dressing
- 3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tsp Mustard
- 1/4 cup Walnut Oil
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
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Start by toasting your shelled nuts for about 8 minutes at 350. This can vary so don't go far. You want them turning light brown and they should be fragrant. Let cool and roughly shop. Set aside.
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Thinly slice the cabbage, radicchio, endive and fennel and place in a large bowl. Mix to combine.
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Place Prosciutto on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350 for 2-3 minutes. These don't take long to get crisp. They will look dried out, that's ok. when they cool they should easily crumble in your hands. If they don't they are still fine, just give a rough chop. Set Aside
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Make your dressing by adding the vinegar, mustard and salt to a bowl, give a quick whisk. Slowly drizzle in your oils one at a time, whisking the entire time. It will thicken as you go. Funnel into a container when finished. If it separates after sitting, just give it a good shake before using.
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To assemble we add the dressing to the cabbage first and give a good mix. We use our hands for this because you really want every piece to be coated. If you are doing smaller servings at a time (like we do throughout the week) just portion out the cabbage mixture into a smaller bowl and slowly add dressing until you reach the amount you like. You don't need much as it coats everything well.
Then we add the shaved Parmesan, we are generous per serving. We then add one slice of crumbled prosciutto on top and sprinkle with the roasted nuts.
