We delve into the Ottolenghi library again for today’s salad, and it is this twist on the Waldorf Salad that takes our fancy. With some red cabbage sitting neglected in the fridge, it is an ideal way to put it to use.
Ottolenghi twists up the classic Waldorf Salad, created by Oscar Tschirky, the maître d’hôtel of the Waldorf Astoria, and we make some changes too. Our changes are to accommodate readily available ingredients and our preference for eggless mayonnaise. Healthy and tasty, what could be better?
Similar Salads include Fancy Pants Coleslaw, Black Bean and Cabbage Salad with Orange Dressing, Celery Yoghurt Salad, Fennel, Potato and Tomato Salad with Mustardy Yoghurt, and Quick Tomato Salad with Mustardy Mayo.
Browse all of our Salads, and all of our Cabbage dishes. Our Ottolenghi recipes are here. Or explore our Early Summer dishes.
Waldorf Salad, Sort of
100g hazelnuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts or cob nuts
½ red cabbage (about 300g), finely shredded
4 celery stalks, cut into 5mm thick slices
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
0.5 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
160g soured cream
50g dill, finely chopped (or use dried dill)
a handful of chives, chopped
100g dried cranberries or goji berries
2 tspn kalonji seeds (available from Middle Eastern and Indian groceries)
sea salt and black pepper
mayonnaise
1 small shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 portion of my Mother’s Quick Eggless Mayonnaise recipe made with cider vinegar, or make or purchase a mustardy mayonnaise of your own choosing
method
Toast the nuts in a dry saute pan until they take on some colour and are dry and crisp. Remove, set aside to cool down, then chop roughly.
Make the mustardy mayonnaise and stir through the shallot. Set aside.
Place the cabbage, celery, apples and onion in a large mixing bowl. Add the soured cream, dill, chives, mayo, cranberries, kalonji seeds, and some sea salt and black pepper. Use your hands to mix everything together thoroughly (don’t mind if you break the apple slices; it’s all part of the look).
Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly, transfer to individual plates and scatter the nuts on top before serving.
recipe notes and alternatives
Use unsweetened yoghurt to make a dressing. Drain the yoghurt in cheesecloth for half an hour then mix with chopped shallot, dijon mustard and a little cider vinegar or lemon juice. Add some salt and pepper. Mix well and tasted, adjusting lemon/vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper as needed. Use as a dressing to replace the sour cream and mayonnaise.
