Pear, chorizo, mint and cabbage salad

Babiche Martens

I love any type of coleslaw - all crispy with fresh flavours and served with a generous dressing (but not gloopy mayo). Shredded green and red cabbage with slices of pear and crispy chorizo is a heavenly match paired with a mint, mustard and gherkin vinaigrette. If you make this recipe and leave it for up to three days, it will get even better and is a great salad to have on hand to serve in a crusty bread roll or with grilled chicken.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp	Butter
4	Pears
3 Tbsp	White wine
2 tsp	Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp	Olive oil
2	Chorizo sausages, halved and sliced finely
100 g	Green cabbage, finely sliced
100 g	Red cabbages, finely sliced
30 g	Mint leaves, sliced

Dressing

1	Gherkin
1 tsp	Brown sugar
1 Tbsp	Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp	Mint leaves
1 cup	Olive oil
2 Tbsp	Lemon juice
1 pinch	Salt, to taste

Directions

1. Halve the pears, remove the core then slice.
2. Heat a fry pan. Warm the butter and wine, then gently cook the sliced pears for at least 15 minutes or until tender. Let cool then remove the pear slices and reserve the sauce.
3. Add the balsamic and olive oil to the warm pan then add the sliced chorizo with the two types of cabbage. Put on the lid and let gently cook for 5 minutes. Toss the pears, chorizo and cabbage with the fresh mint before serving with the dressing.
4. To make the dressing, place the gherkin, mustard, sugar and mint into the bowl of a food processor. Combine until smooth with the olive oil .
5. Add the lemon juice, then taste for seasoning before serving with the salad.