Recipe: Jacques Pepin's Red Cabbage, Pistachio, and Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese

Excerpted from Jacques Pépin: Heart & Soul in the Kitchen, © 2015 by Jacques Pépin. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Red Cabbage, Pistachio, and Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese

Serves 4

The crunchiness of the cabbage and nuts in this substantial salad goes well with the chewiness of the sweet dried cranberries. A topping of crumbled blue cheese—I use Stilton or Roquefort—adds depth.

1½ pounds red cabbage (1 small to medium head), wilted leaves and big ribs removed and discarded (about 1 pound trimmed)

½ cup pistachio nuts

½ cup dried cranberries

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon walnut oil

6 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese, such as Stilton or Roquefort

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Shred the cabbage on a mandoline or cut it into thin strips with a sharp knife. Transfer to a bowl and add the pistachios, cranberries, salt, Tabasco, vinegar, and both oils. Mix well and let marinate for about 1 hour.

Divide the salad among four plates. Sprinkle with the blue cheese and chives and serve.