Citrus-Beet-Cabbage Slaw

Perhaps slaw seems an odd recipe to recommend during winter; the refreshing ribbons bring to mind a summer picnic-table spread, one hand on a paper plate that bends alarmingly under its potluck selections and the other on a jug of lemonade, feet decorated with grass stain tattoos. That's not at all the case here. When I made it this past week, the bowlful took its spot on an elegantly laid table, bringing a group of neighbors in from the bitter cold to tuck into platefuls of risotto (unfortunately un-photogenic, although you can find the recipe here). It proved a good pairing with the soft, creamy rice-and-squash. And so I'd argue that this slaw, with the lemon and orange dispensing tropical allusions, fits any season and any table, whether accompanying a barbecue spread or a hot dish.

This dish is in fact a mash-up of two slaw recipes: I must have been running on purple, as I combined purple cabbage with beets, marinating the two in an orange-lemon vinaigrette for a couple hours. I've never eaten raw beets before, but here they're grated thinly enough that what begins as a tough, bulbous root calms down into acidic shreds of rich red goodness. Red cabbage is rarely a go-to for me, but here it takes up the zesty flavor of the citrus, giving a bite of crunch that's not harsh or earthy, but deliciously tart.

Adapted from Fine Cooking's Citrusy Beet, Parsnip, and Radish Slaw 

Citrus-Beet-Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients:
1 orange
1 lemon
1 tsp. honey
2 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced

Directions:
--Zest orange and lemon. Juice both citruses and whisk together zest, juice, honey and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add beets and cabbage and stir to coat with the vinaigrette. Let sit at least two hours before serving.