Listening is certainly an art and it’s one that I must confess I’m guilty of trying to learn it as it does not come naturally. Perhaps it’s the fact that I’m so busy writing my opinions about things that means that I don’t often listen to others. I do try to listen though and I do make a sincere effort to do so. But my efforts in listening are often thwarted by my enthusiasm for a subject and I often find myself getting so excited that I blurt out things over people and my words climb all over them like an overenthusiastic (or badly trained) puppy. I swear that I am listening but I am also often so delighted to be talking to you that I appear not to be.
Mr NQN is a pretty good listener but there are times where he doesn’t. Shopping for this salad is a case in point. I was weighed down by work so I asked him to do the grocery shopping. It’s a daring task to assign to him as it often means that a second trip is needed to recover the items that he couldn’t find or purchased incorrectly. Either that or there are a half dozen phone calls from the supermarket. The poor thing…I do realise I am a nightmare to grocery shop for as I insist on certain brands.
To the shopping list I added savoy cabbage , parsley and pine nuts. I told him to make sure it was a savoy cabbage and that it was flat leaf parsley. I wasn’t going to ask him to buy Iranian raisins-if I know him he’ll take one look at the price of them and decide that they weren’t necessary. He came back with a regular cabbage (someone had stuck a regular cabbage in the savoy cabbage section), curly parsley and pine nuts. Well at least the pine nuts were right.
In any case, despite these points, I am glad to say that even with this slightly different version, the salad was absolutely delicious and worthy of praise. We then made it with the ingredients as per the recipe as it was worth repeating. It is an alluring combination of crunchy from the cabbage, sweet from the raisins, savoury from the pecorino and creamy from the dressing. This was of course the salad from Buzo Trattoria that we had enjoyed a few months ago and it was one that we asked Buzo’s Traci for the recipe which she kindly furnished me with. It ended up being the unexpected star of the evening which was already an evening with many highs indeed. And this coming from the humble cabbage no less.
So tell me Dear Reader are you a better talker or listener?
Savoy Cabbage, Pine Nut, Raisin and Pecorino Insalata
Recipe courtesy of Buzo Trattoria via Gourmet Traveller
Serves 6
Cooking Time Prep time 15 mins
- 100 gm Iranian raisins (I used regular raisins)
- 125 ml (½ cup) marsala
- 600 gm (about ½) savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1-2 tbsp white balsamic or white wine vinegar
- 100 gm (2/3 cup) pine nuts, toasted
- 100 gm sourdough breadcrumbs, torn into 5mm pieces and toasted
- 80 gm pecorino, finely grated
- 4 cups (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves
Salad cream
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 300 ml olive oil
- 100 ml pouring cream
1. Place raisins in a bowl and pour in marsala to cover, cover and stand overnight.
2. For salad cream, process egg yolks, vinegar and mustard in a food processor until combined, then gradually add oil in a thin, steady stream until emulsified. Transfer to a small bowl, stir through cream and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until needed. Salad cream will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
3. Combine cabbage and vinegar in a bowl, toss to coat and stand for 10 minutes.
4. Drain raisins, discarding marsala, and add to cabbage with pine nuts and half the breadcrumbs, pecorino and parsley. Add salad cream, toss gently to combine and season to taste. Serve immediately scattered with remaining breadcrumbs, pecorino and parsley.
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now? 
NQN on Facebook
RSS
47 Comments | Add your own
LOL Sounds exactly like my partner! That is why I do the shopping, much easier and less time consuming
This sounds like a wonderful salad!!
Thank you! One for the Christmas table – I remember drooling over the pic in your review and your version looks just as delectable.
Talker. Definitely talker. Your description of you remended me of…errr…me
Love this salad, Lorraine. I have been seeing these adorable little cabbages (used one this week) and would love to do something else with it than boil or steam it… this looks like the best slaw ever… marsala raisins are a brilliant idea! Merci!
Beautiful salad, Lorraine! That was so sweet of Mr NQN to do the shopping and it sounds like he did a great job. The salad cream sounds really delicious!
The salad looks great, so simple, my mouth is watering. Will be trying that one. I love pine nuts in salads, well in anything really.
To your question, I lean more towards the talker side rather than listener. I get a bit excited and want to chat about stuff! Am trying to correct that though!
This looks lovely – and good on Mr NQN for doing the shopping, he’s a gem.
This is one of my favourite salads ever ! Had it last time I was at Buzo…I love that place. Well worthy of the Chefs Hat they received in this years food guide
Thanks for posting this up. Now I can improve on my cabbage salad with the awesome salad cream!
I think I’m more a talker- but not a good one! The only part of Eat Pray Love I could endure (book I mean) was when the author said she talked over people because what she had to say was so much more important than anyone else. That’s bad, and I’m pretty sure that’s me!
I am a very good listener but also like to share my ideas and opinions and as a mother of two daughters whom are both adults now, hopefully instil the same in them.
Haha!!! You know I am totally the same about listening!! We are hopeless when we chat and we’re both dying to tell each other something!! lol
Discard the marsala! How could you?
BEST SALAD EVER! Ordered this at Buzo after seeing your review and ate every skerrick from the plate.
oh my this sounds wonderful! I must give it a try asap!
What a wonderful salad. Who knew the humble cabbage could be made such a star!
so
much
cheese
so
damn
good
They do a great job at Buzo. Took a while to get that chef’s hat but they deserve it. Thank you for sharing the recipe to their prize dish.
Oh, that pecorino looks like snow! Preeeeettty!
Gosh that looks so yum. I might try this soon
I agree with Bernadette how could you discard the masala at the very least pour on some ice cream. This salad looks delicious I will have to try it.
I think I am a much better talker than I am a listener. I am sur my dear husband would agree
Yum! Love the sound of the salad cream in particular (you know I’m madly looking for things to do with eggs..
)
haha the cellphone calls from the supermarket is something I’m so familiar with
puff/filo is a common issue for us, as is the right kind of feta! oh my poor spanakopita is never going to be made at this rate
Your hubby reminds me of mine. My husband, aka Meat Boy, will arrive home from the grocery store bearing a giant roast or other humongous piece of meat. Then, he’ll look at me and say, “What sides should we have with it?” And I’ll slap my head and look at him in disbelief, saying, “Uh, duh, you were just at the store. Didn’t you get any makings for sides?!?” Hah.
For one reason or another having to use alternative ingredients is the makings of a stunning dish at times, seems it totally was in this case…., so happy ending huh.
I think I shall shop for these ingredients tonight. It is so popular on twitter so I simply must try it =)
I’m a much better listener than a talker. Good skill for a journalist, but I clam up and get all nervous if I have to be interviewed myself. And your hubby is funny, he does a Man Shop!
CABBAGE SALAD THAT GOOD? I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THE DAY BUT WILL GIVE ANYTHING A GO. TNX. I’M A LISTENER BUT MY WIFE IS A TALKER.
I get too excited as well… can you imagine if we both had a conversation?
My partner is pretty good. He will get things right BUT he will also buy other stuff…. irrelevant.
Hi NQN,
I once received a phone call from my boyfriend as he was in the supermarket looking for speck in the dried herbs and spices section & couldn’t find it! The crazy things we do to the men in our lives.
Xo
Sounds delic. Too bad DH doesn’t like raisins (that is an understatement, believe me). Perhaps I could try it without, but it looks like it is a pretty key ingredient to get that perfect balance.
My BigJ is just like that too! It’s always a bit of a lucky dip sending him to the shops.
I like to talk, but I first like to get a sense of people by listening to them and trying to find some common ground.
oh dear I understand the inability to listen – sometimes I feel I rush from one thing to another with barely time to take anything in – if you had to ask for the recipe in a restaurant it must be good (if you are as reluctant as I am to ask for such things)
This sounds like such a delightfully unusual combination (I never would have thought of using cabbage), and raisins + pinenuts are such good friends.
I’m exactly the same – I don’t mean to be rude but sometimes I get so enthusiastic that I just blurt things out as soon as they pop into my head and I sound like I’m being rude and interrupting. I have to consciously mute myself sometimes!
Briony xx
I used to be a good listener. Still mostly am, but I guess I just don’t remember things as well as I used to
I definitely suck at talking though. I have a telephone phobia!
lol that’s why I like to do my own grocery shopping =P
I LOVE this salad. I had the recipe but have yet to try it at home. Glad to see yours looks just like the restaurant version.
Stunning combination of flavours, can’t wait to try this out as a spring salad, thanks for sharing!
This looks great. I can’t wait to try it.
This looks really interesting! Love your description of your efforts at listening! I like to think i’m fairly good at both but I think the talking side wins hands down
Haha, glad it worked out anyway! My boyfriend is as serious about food as I am so I can confidently send him to the shop. What a lucky gal I am.
Listening is not my forte either! As for this recipe, love the use of the cabbage – something interesting and a bit unloved.
Hard question.. I guess I have moments of being good at both. I have a bad habit of doing things on my computer when on the phone to my Mum though :/
Love Buzo, love this salad too!! Many thanks for enabling me to make it at home
) Cheers, Elaine
Wowsers that is an impressive mound of salad! Ha, I have to manage the Co-pilot like that too – if I know what his response will be, I save myself the angst and won’t fight it. Thankfully he is pretty decent with shopping – just gets too much!
Hahaha, our poor husbands/partners. Yep, like Forager, to save me a bit of grief (ie “why do need 1.3kg of couveture chocolate, can’t u use normal chocolate??”), I’ll go out to get the specific things I need for recipes.
Definitely a listener here! That salad sounds wonderful- thanks for sharing the recipe.
This looks and sounds awesome and of course the salad cream recipe will be so easy with my best friend in the kitchen…added to my list
Post a Comment