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: [print_this]
Curtido Makes: 12 servings Time: 20 minutes preparation, 2+ hours aging1/4 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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