A Colorful Slaw for Fall

Hardy Veggies and a Piquant Dressing Are as Bright as Autumn Leaves in Rhode Island

Cooking during spring’s quarantine enhanced my appreciation for what I’ve been calling “the swap.” With those pre-Covid quick trips to the market sharply curtailed and shelves at said markets often scantily stocked, I had to approach recipes with a make-it-work attitude. I discovered that whole milk plus butter could pinch hit for heavy cream and envelopes of instant hot chocolate, with a little trial-and-error, made a decent substitute for cocoa powder.

This season’s weeknight recipe calls for a vibrant slaw that relies on the autumnal bounty of Rhode Island’s agricultural landscape, but also encourages the swap. The shallot can easily be replaced with red (or white! or yellow!) onion. The beets can skew raw or cooked and don’t even require peeling. No dried cranberries? No problem! Try a grated apple, the waning raspberries or strawberries in the fruit bowl, raisins or other dried fruit, or even whole cranberries in a can. Likewise, the hot sauce in the vinaigrette can shift to any type of heat you desire; gochujang and harissa are both particularly nice. The beauty of swap cooking is that it sees the delicious possibilities in everything.

Pro tip: Grating the beets by hand will leave you with magenta-tinted mitts, so it might be wise to pull out some of those disposable gloves we’ve all stocked up on.

Don’t fear the cinnamon in the vinaigrette; it brings a subtle earthiness and sweetness to complement the beets. This recipe will yield extra vinaigrette, which will keep in the fridge for a week and makes a fine marinade for chicken or pork, too.

This slaw eats great cold or at room temperature and is a nice gateway dish for anyone who is wary of beets. It pairs nicely with grilled meats, but will also shine as a part of a mezze platter, perfect for weeknight cooking.