Spectacular Winter Salad with Gremolata!

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This is adapted from the Cabbage and Radish Slaw on Food52. Thinly slice some cabbage, green or red. Or you could julienne some turnips instead, or kohlrabi, or well-scrubbed Jerusalem artichokes. Coat the cabbage (or whatever) with gremolata (see winter greens gremolata recipe in post just below), and add in some mashed Garlic Confit (see instructions below) and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Stir well, then sprinkle very thinly sliced radishes over the salad. (Using a mandoline slicer, available at department stores or online, makes it really easy to slice most veggies quite thinly, or to shred or julienne them, i.e., make them matchstick-like). The author of the recipe suggests tucking the salad into wraps, either alone or w/ "gooey pulled pork." You also could substitute cheese or hard-boiled eggs or flavored tofu, etc., for the pork.

Garlic Confit--This is a recipe from "Dash and Bella," a beautifully poetic blog about cooking and raising a child.

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• 3 whole heads of garlic, cloves separated; leave skins on
• olive oil
• salt
• a sprig of thyme or rosemary, if desired

Poke a small hole in each garlic clove with the tip of a paring knife, so they don't explode as you cook them. Put the unpeeled garlic cloves in a large, heavy pot and cover with olive oil. Add salt and/or herbs, or not, as you choose. Put the pot on a back burner and bring to boil--do NOT let your own face or child's face anywhere near the pot!!! (You remember that whole mediaeval thing about boiling oil...?! It was a torture you def. want to avoid.) Reduce the heat to low the second it boils, so it doesn't sputter. Gently simmer the cloves about 20 minutes, then test one with the tip of a paring knife. The cloves should be soft all the way through. Let them cool to room temp. (Be sure to save the oil for salad dressing or other oily uses!)

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They're ready to use now. To be decadent (oh, why not??), you can suck them right out of the skins, or you can do it primly and properly by squeezing the contents of some cloves onto French bread or into soup/stew, or you can use it in the Winter Salad above. The cloves, in the skins, will keep in the fridge for several weeks as long as they're completely covered with the oil.

Here are three other uses for garlic confit from Dash and Bella:  1) Corn, Cherry Tomato, Arugula, and Spinach Salad;  2) Garlic Confit Vinaigrette;  3) Lime Potatoes with Poached Eggs (that one makes me feel weak in the knees.). The recipes can be found at the bottom of the post on garlic confit.  Bon appetit!