Tart London: How to make Root slaw with pickled onion and pecans

The crisp, cold stillness of a perfect winter’s day makes us long to be outside. We love a long walk across one of London’s wilder parks such as Hampstead Heath or Richmond, working up a big appetite, which we satisfy by heading to a farmers’ market. Twenty years ago there were few of these wonderful markets in London but now they abound. Our favourite takes place in Queen’s Park every weekend, just around the corner from our first pop-up restaurant, Tart’s Kitchen. It is such a joy to arrive hungry, and even better at Christmas time. Stalls groan under the weight of indulgent foods: cheeses, pâtés and cured meats, all to be washed down with spicy mulled wine or cider.

A zingy salad, made from fresh vegetables available at the market at this time of year, is the perfect counterbalance to gluttony. Sticking to seasonal produce is not just the right thing to do — everything tastes so much better as well. You might assume there’s not much in the way of fresh veg in midwinter but it’s peak time for some of our favourites: deep purple beetroot, vivid golden carrots, rich green cavolo nero, plump parsnips and robust little Brussels sprouts.

When preparing your festive spread, consider what could bring colour, crunch and freshness to heavier roasted dishes. For us this vegetable slaw stands out. It’s the kind of side you want to tuck into before anything else; plenty of raw, crisp wholesomeness, complemented by spiced pickle from the onion and the sweet roasted pecans.

This is the last of our four-part Christmas special — but not least, for this is a pivotal dish, and would go hand in hand with whatever you decide to make. Here at Tart, we wish you all a very merry (and delicious) Christmas.

Root slaw with pickled onion and pecans (Serves 8)

Ingredients:

For the pecans

50g pecans

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp dried thyme

For the onion dressing

100ml cider vinegar

3 star anise

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 lime, zest and juice

4 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 carrots

2 beetroots

2 parsnips

1 kohlrabi

8 radishes

1 blood orange, peeled and cut into thin segments

2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 tbsp nigella seeds

Small bunch of mint, leaves only

Small bunch of coriander,

leaves only

100g pomegranate seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix the pecans with the oil, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and thyme. Season then place on an oven tray and roast for 10 minutes. Take out and allow to cool before lightly crushing.

Place the vinegar, star anise, cinnamon, caster sugar and the lime zest in a pan and bring to the boil. When it starts to bubble, remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl with the lime juice, olive oil and sliced onion. Season and let it sit for a few hours.

It’s nice to have contrasting shapes and sizes of veggies, so slice them any which way you like: into thin semi-circles, matchsticks and paper-thin julienne.

To serve, mix the raw vegetables and blood orange with the onion pickle dressing and pecans. Pile on a plate and sprinkle over the sesame and nigella seeds and the herbs, then finish with a scattering of pomegranate seeds.