Bummer of a slaw

This recipe for Spicy Radicchio Slaw with Pecans comes from an article about Cole slaw written by Deb Pearlman of Smitten Kitchen. (It's the second recipe from the bottom.)

I had really high hopes for this salad, and I did enjoy it...the first day I ate it. I think the radicchio and cabbage got too soggy after a few days. It wouldn't have lasted so long, but Mrblocko hated it and wouldn't eat anything past the first bite. My mom who was visiting wound up eating most of it. I'm still not sure if she liked it, or was eating it to be nice. She is tricky like that sometimes.

I think the radicchio was the main culprit. It was very very bitter. I don't remember ever having radicchio that tasted quite so acrid. Perhaps it was a dud radicchio? Either way it overpowered the salad. Purple cabbage would be a good replacement. It would eliminate the bitterness, but keep some of the beautiful color within the salad.

The produce at the grocery store must be off right now, because the Granny Smith apple I used was very tart. I nibbled on a few of the slices before I popped them into the mixing bowl. I like a tart apple but, zowie! The tartness of the apple was not complimentary to the bitter radicchio. Next time, (sorry Mrblocko, I gotta give this recipe another go. Bear with me!) I will use a mix of Granny Smith and a sweeter apple like a Honeycrisp.

I attempted to cut the bitter and tart elements of this salad by adding something sweet. I had originally wanted to use raisins, but I only had currents. The currents were too small to give the needed burst of sweetness. Next time I'll use raisins. I noticed that the grocery store now carries three colors: green, red and the regular dark purple. If I use purple cabbage, I'd eliminate the green cabbage so I didn't have a bunch of leftover cabbage that went to waste. With all that purple in the salad, I'd use green raisins to help balance the color of the salad.

One carrot seemed a bit sparse for my liking. Two or three would add to the color and sweetness. I usually add more carrot than a recipe calls for. I don't know why I didn't do it this time.

I don't know if using regular paprika had a big effect on the taste of the salad. I need to get some smoked paprika and find out. I keep forgetting that I don't have to go to a specialty store to purchase some. They sell smoked paprika in the spice section of the grocery store now. Must be my recent onset of age. Memory is the first thing to go. Where am I!? What am I doing? Who's blog is this! Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Spicy Radiccio Slaw with Pecans from NPR Makes 6 to 8 servings
Slaw:
1 head radicchio, halved, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 medium head of Savoy cabbage, halved, cored, halved again and thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into thin matchsticks
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Dressing:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon smoked spicy paprika
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine radicchio, cabbage, carrot, apple, onion and pecans in a large bowl. Mix well with hands and set aside. In a small bowl, stir mustard, sugar, paprika, mayonnaise and lemon juice until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over cabbage mix and toss well to coat. Taste again for seasoning, then mound onto a platter.