Often in our household, the side dishes we cook up are more important than the actual main meal.

How is that possible you ask? Well, anyone can plate up a good main dish. Take the humble roast chicken for example. You can almost never go wrong with it.

However, what makes it special and memorable? Is it the crispy skin? The tenderness of the flesh? The creaminess of the gravy? The wonderful roast vegetables? The sides?

It all matters of course, in the wider scheme of a good meal. But really, to me, if the sides are poor, it makes the poor humble roast chicken a little lacklustre.

Seeing as the season for yummy roasts and hot meals are starting to fire up (it is getting cold in Melbourne!), and the abundance of red cabbages in the markets, the Boy has recreated a classic side dish for you 🙂

Red Cabbage Remoulade Recipe

Ingredients:
1/4 Red Cabbage (remove core and thinly sliced/shredded)
3 Tablespoons of Aioli (we used store-bought Maille Aioli)
2 Sweet Spiced Gherkins (we used store-bought Fletchers Sweet Spiced Gherkins), finely diced/chopped
1 Tablespoon of Spring Onions (thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon of Wholegrain Mustard (we used store-bought Masterfoods Wholegrain Mustard)
1 teaspoon of Honey
1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
2 dashes of Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon of Salt (used for pickling)

Procedure:

Place sliced/shredded red cabbage in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Toss cabbage to mix thoroughly with the salt. Set aside for 45 minutes to help “pickle” the cabbage.

Transfer cabbage into a colander and wash under running tap water to remove the salt. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, add in Aioli, Gherkins, Wholegrain Mustard, Honey, Lemon Juice and Cayenne Pepper. Stir to mix the sauce.

Add cabbages into the bowl and mix around with the sauce.

Serve with a garnish of sliced spring onions on the top.

So tell me fab readers, what do you think of my theory of sides?