Warm Red Cabbage Salad

I first prepared this salad in 1979 at Sam Francisco’s Balboa Café which I had taken over for an update and redo. It was a popular success beyond my wildest dreams, especially because I thought at the time that cabbage and duck fat would be the last two things to capture the taste buds and imaginations of barfly Californians. Then for years there were people who would not come to the restaurants without a promise that the cabbage salad will be available. Sublime versions include chopped shallots and using walnut oil or rendered duck fat instead of bacon fat. Or add duck skin cracklings on top of the salad.

The procedure for a warm or “wilted” salad is the same whatever the ingredients: mix the salad, seasonings, and acid beforehand, then pour over the hot oil or fat, toss, and serve.