Pinch My Salt

Food, Recipes, and Photography

Warm Red Cabbage Slaw with Apple and Caraway Seed

by 36 Comments

Warm Red Cabbage Slaw with Caraway Seeds

Have you ever purchased a specific dried herb or spice for one recipe and then let the bottle sit on your spice rack or in the back of your pantry untouched for months, or even years?  Do you have herbs or spices in your cabinet that you’ve never even used?  I bet you do; I used to as well.

About five years ago, I decided to do something about it.  First, I cleaned out my spice cabinet and got rid of all the really old stuff.  It was amazing how many spice bottles I had that were probably passed down to me from my mom and grandmother when I first moved out on my own.  I bet most of the spices were outdated before they even came into my possession.

Once I had my cabinet cleaned out, I only replaced what I used on a regular basis and decided I would buy others as I learned more about them.  I started reading more about spices and even bought a fantastic book called Herbs and Spices: The Cook’s Reference.

The more I read about herbs and spices, the more I wanted to experiment with new flavors.  When I purchased something new, I made sure to learn as much as I could – what cuisines favored that particular herb or spice, which flavors combined well with it, etc.  Eventually, I had a full spice cabinet again, but the bottles no longer sat untouched.  Now I love to experiment with new flavors and I don’t worry about buying something new for one particular recipe – I know that I’ll find a way to use it again and again.

This Warm Red Cabbage Slaw recipe is a perfect example of how my cooking has changed since I decided to take control of my spice cabinet.  I purchased a bottle of McCormick Gourmet Caraway Seed for bagels I made for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge last year.  I had never used caraway seed and I really didn’t think I would even like it much.  The old Nicole probably would have put the caraway seed away after the bagels were made and never touched it again, but I fell in love with the flavor on my “everything” bagels and decided to learn how to use it in other ways.  It’s wonderful in this salad!

Warm Red Cabbage Slaw with Apple and Caraway Seed

3 tablespoons oil, divided (any neutral-flavored oil will do)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 head medium red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1 small apple, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup)
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon Caraway Seed, lightly crushed (I used McCormick Gourmet Caraway Seed)

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, brown sugar, mustard and 2 tablespoons of oil. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-low heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat pan.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add cabbage and apple and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until cabbage is slightly wilted and crisp-tender.  Remove from heat and stir in dressing, a generous pinch of salt, and crushed caraway seed.

Serves 4.

If you’re looking to clean out your own spice cabinet, and aren’t sure whether something is too old to keep, check out the handy McCormick Life of Spice guide where you can learn about the shelf life of herbs, spices, and extracts and even check the age of your own McCormick Gourmet spices are by entering the codes from the bottom of your bottles.

As mentioned previously, I have been chosen by McCormick to participate in the McCormick Real Gourmets program. I have been paid by them and I received a box full of McCormick Gourmet spices (that box was so much fun to open!), which are now scattered throughout my kitchen and living room since my spice cabinet is already bulging! I have been using McCormick Gourmet spices for years, and am thrilled for the opportunity to explore new ways to use these wonderful spices.

Do you have any untouched bottles of herbs or spices in your cabinet that you’d like to learn how to use?  Try using Food Blog Search to look for recipes containing that ingredient and see if you can find something that appeals to you.  The more you cook, the more you’ll learn!

Related Recipes:

Caraway Seed Recipes around the Web:

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. norts says

    Looks delicious... I'm looking forward to trying this! During the fall and winter months we seem to go through a lot of caraway. Caraway sautéed with onions, apples and homemade sauerkraut puts me in a happy place. :) Goulash Soup (Gulyassuppe) topped with a little sour cream is another favorite. http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/16933/gulyassuppe-goulash-soup.html
    Reply

  2. Maggie @ Crumb bum says

    Having discovered that my local market carried spice in bulk, I have recently started experimenting with new spices. I buy them a little at a time, slowly building a new understanding of each spice. Caraway is one I have yet to try. But, I am a huge fan of purple cabbage! Consider a small bit of caraway in my basket next time I walk to the market.
    Reply

  7. Malea says

    I love cabbage. I love caraway. I just threw this together tonight with a half a head of left-over green cabbage. Yum! You can't beat the look of the red cabbage, though! So pretty. Thanks for the nudge towards clearing out the dead spices - that's been on my list for such a long time!
    Reply

  9. viola says

    This looks delicious and I'm going to try it this week. Last week I needed some rosemary but did not want to buy a jar at $3.98, so I went to HEB and bought about 3 tsb for $.33 . Maybe you could also try the loose spice section at Whole Foods for a spice you do not use often.
    Reply

  10. viola says

    This looks delicious and I'm going to try it this week. Last week I needed some rosemary but did not want to buy a jar at $3.98, so I went to HEB and bought about 3 tbs for $.33 . Maybe you could also try the loose spice section at Whole Foods for a spice you do not use often.
    Reply

  12. Laurence says

    This recipe looks delicious! I think I might try it myself. I'm trying to learn about how to cook with herbs and spices a lot more because I know they have tons of health benefits. As I was growing up, my mother did not do too much healthy cooking and as a result I was overweight. I think it's really great what you're doing with your blog here. You're encouraging people to eat healthy by teaching them how to cook healthy! The problem in this country is that most people are too lazy to cook. Those that do cook often cook with unhealthy ingredients. That's not the case with this recipe! This warm red cabbage slaw ( I like that name by the way) is high in fiber which is great for digestion and regulating blood sugar levels. I'm trying to learn how to cook so I think I'm going to subscribe to your blog :) Healthy eating is important, and to eat healthy, knowing how to cook healthy is important! I wrote an article on my health blog with some tips for cooking healthier meals that people might be interested http://nutritionisthesolution.com/5-tips-for-cooking-healthier-meals tell me if you like it :) Anyway, nice recipe! Best, Laurence
    Reply

  13. shewolfinthevalley says

    Great blog - lovely recipe, and a timely reminder for me to clear out my dry foods cupboard (not just the jars and jars of spices) to see what should be thrown, used soon, or still kept in store. I have a feeling there are a few jars of pilchards in the cupboard which my boyfriend's previous girlfriend must have bought, and if I haven't used them in 3 years, I doubt they're going to be used.
    Reply

  14. Pille @ Nami-Nami says

    Thank you for linking to one of my recipes, Nicole (and sorry for such a late reply). Caraway is a pretty common spice here in Estonia - I include it in my rye bread, in sautéed sauerkraut, sprinkle on roasted beets, even make a sweet teabread with it ( recipe here: http://nami-nami.blogspot.com/2009/12/caraway-teacake.html ). A very versatile spice, once you learn to love it :)
    Reply

  15. Christine Charaudeau says

    This was absolutely delicious! I used a shallot because I love them and didn't have a red onion but followed the recipe otherwise, and will definitely make this frequently! Thank you :)
    Reply

Leave a Reply