Curtido Recipe: Central American Cabbage Slaw

Whoa I haven’t posted a recipe in forever.  I like to test a recipe a couple times to ensure directions are correct.  In this case, I made curtido and wrote this post the same night but wanted to see how it aged in the fridge before posting.  Here ya’ go!

Tonight (by which I mean a night a few weeks ago) we went to my parents’ house for dinner.  They were serving a make-your-own burrito bar.  Fun!

I had half a red cabbage left over from making coleslaw for some barbecued pulled pork.  The now-closed La Hacienda Real used to serve a cabbage slaw with refried beans to accompany chips and I wondered if I could use up my cabbage to make that.

A quick google survey revealed their dish was probably curtido.  Curtido is a barely fermented cabbage and carrot slaw common in Salvador and Nicaragua.  It often accompanies pupusas, thick corn pancakes.

My first try was a hit, as evidenced by above inclusion on Dad’s second or third taco.  Here’s my recipe, based on one from Whats4Eats:
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Curtido
Makes: 12 servings
Time: 20 minutes preparation, 2+ hours aging

1/4 head red cabbage, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

3 onion chives, chopped (a few scallions were called for in the original recipe, but onion tops from the garden were the best substitute I had on hand)

boiling water to cover

1/4 cup Charlie’s apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 dash red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

several turns of black pepper

Combine cabbage, carrots, and onions in a heat proof bowl.  Add boiling water to cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the remaining ingredients.

Strain out the water.  Press the vegetables to get out all the excess you can.

In a serving dish, combine vegetables and the vinegar mixture.  Allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours before serving.  Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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