kitchen sink slaw with bitters
i purchased bitters to feel like an adult with an adult inventory of spirits. i'm pleased to announce that my beautiful bottle of angostura bitters now sits behind the sink, perched next to a dignified selection of tito's vodka, secondhand brandy, and mrs. meyers dish soap. the bottle is opaque and curiously medicinal looking, and from what i've gathered about the history of bitters (which is not a lot), its appearance is probably mysterious for a reason. "angostura" is made from magic roots? bark? south american trees logged during mercury in retrograde? i honestly still don't know, and to be frank, POPSUGAR, among other short overpromising reads, fed me more semispecific information than i could truly digest.
and so i turned to the bottle itself, shrouded in a comically massive label from which i learned that not only could i use the stuff to make fancy malproportioned whiskey drinks for my friends, but also to transform my salads, enhancing dressings both purchased and homemade.
reader, it did transform my salads. this recipe is my happiest result. you can keep it leafy like an actual salad, but i like chopping it finely like a slaw: as a side, on a sandwich, on a burger, or in a wrap. this recipe is perfect for getting rid of soon-to-be-wilted greens, because the mystery of the bitters, along with the apple cider vinegar, really does seem to wake up even the most bruised, delicate petals of sad desk lettuce—even days after they've been chopped.
you'll need
whatever greens you've got, as long as you've got a lot (for me: a bit of lacinato kale for texture, leftover parsley & cilantro, 3/4 a head of iceberg lettuce)
1/2 small red onion
1 shallot
apple cider vinegar
avocado oil (you could use olive oil, of course, but for this slaw in particular i like the fattiness & thickness of avo oil, which doesn't taste super strong but is a great vehicle for tossing around the stronger cider & bitters flavors)
angostura bitters (yep, those bitters!)
salt
pepper
a bit of honey
on you go
slice shallot as thinly as possible, cover with apple cider vinegar, and mix with a tablespoon of honey. (you can also prepare this hours ahead, if you'd like, but if you're in a major rush, even a few minutes will do. i usually try to let it sit for at least an hour.)
chop iceberg lettuce, kale, and any other leafy green into long, thin strips. roughly chop herbs and toss to incorporate. slice red onion as thin as you can, incorporate, and toss. add shallots and ACV/honey mixture. drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of avocado oil (or olive oil). while tossing, incorporate a few drops of angostura bitters. salt and pepper to taste.
your workhorses
bitters | cocktail connoisseurs already know that a bottle of angostura bitters goes a long way for a a variety of alcoholic drinks and in whiskey cocktails in particular. (i often opt for a manhattan: rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters.) with a few drops in seltzer water between strong, overpriced drinks, your tab and hangover will thank you. (just ask the bartender for club soda and bitters.) it turns out that the herbal, aromatic, almost medicinally botanical flavor of bitters punches up some of the very best summertime mixtures (think: salad dressings, dips, tossed chicken salad, and berries).
pickled shallots | the recipe is always a version of the same: slice shallots thinly and immerse in just enough apple cider vinegar to cover. mix to dissolve either sugar or honey (i prefer raw honey), and let it sit for as long as you need it to (ideally an hour to overnight). the quick-pickled shallots become more translucent—sweeter even—but still strong and pickley. use the leftover ACV liquid (which will have turned pink) for homemade vinaigrettes.
soundbites
appetizer: soundcloud
dessert: spotify
piece of power
Short Talk on the Withness of the Body | Anne Carson