1866. WARM NAPA CABBAGE, BACON, BLUE CHEESE and APPLE SALAD

serves four


1 head Napa cabbage
1 head radicchio
5 thick slices apple wood smoked bacon, chopped fine
1 green apple, peeled
4 ounces crumbled blue or green veined cheese
2 tablespoons neutral oil

for Mustard Sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
cold water to thin
salt and pepper to taste

Cut off bottom of head of cabbage. Pull cabbage leaves apart, wash in cold water and dry. Cut out most of hard stem leaving some for body. Stack leaves and crosscut julienne into 0.25 inch wide slices.

Save four nice outside leaves from radicchio. Wash, dry, and set aside at room temp. Repeat procedure used on the cabbage with the radicchio except crosscut julienne into eighth-inch wide slices.

On medium to high heat, cook oil and bacon pieces in large skillet or sauté pan.

Whisk together ingredients for mustard sauce in a cold bowl.

When bacon is cooked tender, push it to the top of the pan. Back tilt pan letting fat evenly coat-then pool in lower half of pan. Make sure pan is on medium-high heat. Place cabbage into fat then toss once. Add crumbled cheese, radicchio, black pepper to taste, and mustard sauce to taste (2 ounces is plenty).

Toss until everything is coated and cook for about 2 minutes until warmed through but still crisp (must not be too wilted!). One final toss.

Set out radicchio leaves on four plates. Drizzle mustard dressing around plate. Fill radicchio leaves with warm cabbage salad.

Grate some fresh apple over the top using large hole on box grater. Garnish with herb of choice. I like a touch of finely julienned sage.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef David Du Bois, Franklin Cafe, 278 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, 617-350-0010