Stephanie’s Summer Slaw – #recipe and #giveaway from @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  It's Book Launch Day, and have I got a treat for you!

“We’re first-timers,” Sandra told the server when we were seated and had ordered iced tea. “What do you do better than any other kitchen?”
   “Oh, easy,” he replied. He wore black, like all the front-of-house staff, including a knee-length black apron, and a man bun. I’d thought—hoped—man buns had gone out of style. “Crab cakes. The chef makes his own spice blend. There’s nothing else like it.”
   We’d see about that.
   “They’re served with our house slaw—red cabbage with green beans, white beans, and cherry tomatoes—and toasted Seattle sourdough. A little retro and a lot of fun.”
   “Sold,” I said. “In fact, that spice blend sounds intriguing. Is it in any other dishes?”
   The server pointed to two other items and we ordered one of each to share. Fingers crossed that we weren’t being too obvious.

— from The Solace of Bay Leaves, out today in ebook and audio (in paperback October 20)

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of an earlier entry in the Spice Shop series.  

I’m sure my blog sisters agree that one of the most frequent questions we get is where our recipes come from. This one, I’m delighted to say, came from a reader, Stephanie Rosenbaum Klassen, a professional cook and cookbook author. We’re Facebook friends and last year, she posted photos of a lunch she’d catered at a workplace in Northern California, where she lives. The picture of this slaw jumped out at me and I asked what was in it; she told me, and we’ve now made it several times, although I had to figure out the amounts and how-to myself. To give her credit, she made it the way Pepper and Sandra decide it should be made rather than the way the restaurant they visited on their spice spy trip made it—you’ll have to read the book to detect the difference!

Red cabbage is always a challenge for me because it seems like I always end up with So Much Cabbage. Choose a small head, and plan on having extra for another dish or to toss into green salads.

Do hunt down Citrus Champagne Vinegar. I’ve used both the Trader Joe’s version and the O brand, made in Stephanie’s own valley. I might prefer Trader Joe’s slightly, but both give an excellent zip! And what’s a summer salad without a little zip?

Stephanie’s Summer Slaw

– inspired by Stephanie Rosenbaum Klassen

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
3 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
1-15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1-1/2 tablespoon citrus champagne vinegar, or more to taste
2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, lemon-infused olive oil, or half of each
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and toss in the green beans. Cook 2-3 minutes, then drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Cut in 2-3 inch lengths.

Toss the green beans, cabbage, white beans, and tomatoes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, and seasonings; adjust to your taste. Pour over cabbage mixture and mix well, to coat the vegetables with the vinaigrette.

Serves 6. Keeps well in the refrigerator 2-3 days.

Readers, what's your go-to summer salad? Tell us in the comments for a chance to win a signed copy of an earlier entry in the Spice Shop series, winner's choice. Be sure to leave your email address! (US addresses only; winner will be announced Friday, July 24.)

From the cover of THE SOLACE OF BAY LEAVES, Spice Shop Mystery #5, coming July 21, 2020 in e-book and audio, in paperback October 20 (Seventh St. Books and Tantor Audio) : 

Pepper Reece never expected to find solace in bay leaves. 

But when her life fell apart at forty and she bought the venerable-but-rundown Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, her days took a tasty turn. Now she’s savoring the prospect of a flavorful fall and a busy holiday cooking season, until danger bubbles to the surface ... 

Between managing her shop, worrying about her staff, and navigating a delicious new relationship, Pepper’s firing on all burners. But when her childhood friend Maddie is shot and gravely wounded, the incident is quickly tied to an unsolved murder that left another close friend a widow. 

Convinced that the secret to both crimes lies in the history of a once-beloved building, Pepper uses her local-girl contacts and her talent for asking questions to unearth startling links between the past and present—links that suggest her childhood friend may not have been the Golden Girl she appeared to be. Pepper is forced to face her own regrets and unsavory emotions, if she wants to save Maddie’s life—and her own. 

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, and the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories.  Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

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