Name: Health Salad
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Ingredients: 1/2 head green cabbage , halved, cored, and chopped coarse (5 cups); 1 green bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, quartered, and sliced thin crosswise; 1 onion , halved and sliced thin; 1 cucumber , peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin; 1 carrot , peeled and sliced thin; 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar; 1/4 cup water; 1/4 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 garlic cloves , smashed and peeled; 2 teaspoon table salt; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Why This Recipe Works

This punchy, sweet-sour salad, ubiquitous in delis and diners across the northeastern United States marries green cabbage (which we prefer chopped coarsely) with thinly sliced green bell pepper, carrot, and onion. We mellow the acidity of the white vinegar–based dressing by diluting it with water, and we balance its sourness with 1/4 cup of sugar. Heating the dressing before pouring it over the vegetables ensures that the sugar will fully dissolve and that the dressing soaks deeply into the vegetables. Letting the salad sit in its dressing for a measure of time—anywhere from 2 hours to three days—allows the vegetables to soften.

Before You Begin

This salad needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours before serving.

Instructions

Combine cabbage, bell pepper, onion, cucumber, and carrot in large bowl. Bring vinegar, water, sugar, oil, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper flakes to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Once simmering, pour vinegar mixture over vegetables and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (Health salad will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.)