Apple, Pecorino and Cabbage Salad Recipe | Mama Florence Cooking School

A Crisp Salad with Sweet, Salty and Sharp Flavors

This is the kind of salad that works because every ingredient brings something different.

At Mama Florence Cooking School, red and white cabbage give the salad its crunch, apple brings sweetness, Pecorino adds salt and richness, and walnuts bring a deeper, toasted note. Celery keeps everything fresh, while the radishes are softened briefly in warm vinegar and sugar before joining the bowl. The dressing pulls those contrasts together with extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper, and a little of the vinegar left from the radishes. The result is crisp, bright, and substantial enough to feel like more than a side salad.

How to Make Apple, Pecorino and Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

• 50 gr red cabbage • 50 gr white cabbage •  4 pickled radishes • 1 apple • 80 gr Pecorino cheese • 1 celery stalk with leaves • 50 gr walnuts • 5 tsp red vinegar • 2 tsp white sugar • 2 tbsp lemon juice • extra-virgin olive oil, to taste • salt, to taste • black pepper, to taste

Mama’s Secret: Keep the liquid from the radishes. The vinegar and sugar pick up some of the radish flavor while they soak, and a little of that liquid goes back into the final dressing. It ties the sharpness of the radish directly into the rest of the salad instead of treating it as a separate element.

1. Prepare the Radishes

• Cut the radishes into thin slices.
• Add the red vinegar and sugar to a small saucepan.
• Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat.
• Add the sliced radishes and leave them to soak for 15 minutes.
• Remove the radishes and let them cool.
• Keep the vinegar mixture aside for the dressing.

2. Prepare the Cabbage and Celery

• Wash the red and white cabbage thoroughly and dry well.
• Slice both into thin strips with a sharp knife.
• Remove the strings from the celery and cut the stalk into small pieces.
• Transfer the cabbage and celery to a large bowl.

3. Prepare the Apple

• Wash the apple and slice it thinly.
• Place the slices in a separate bowl and drizzle with lemon juice so they do not darken while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

4. Prepare the Walnuts and Pecorino

• Shell the walnuts and chop them coarsely.
• Keep a few walnut halves aside for the final garnish.
• Cut the Pecorino into flakes.

5. Assemble the Salad

• Drain the apple well.
• Add it to the bowl with the cabbage and celery, along with the radish slices, walnuts, Pecorino, and a pinch of salt.
• Mix everything together thoroughly.

How to Make the Dressing

1. In a small bowl, combine extra-virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, and a little lemon juice.
2. Add some of the reserved vinegar mixture from the radishes.
3. Whisk or stir until the dressing comes together, then pour it over the salad.
4. Mix well and taste.
5. Adjust the salt, black pepper, vinegar, or lemon juice according to your preference.

How to Serve the Salad

1. Finish with chopped celery leaves and the reserved walnut pieces.
2. Serve fresh, while the cabbage and apple still have plenty of crunch.

Why Apple and Pecorino Work So Well Together

Apple and Pecorino bring opposite qualities to the same bite. The apple is crisp, juicy, and sweet, while Pecorino is firm, salty, and savory. The cabbage gives both ingredients a crunchy base, while walnuts add richness and the vinegar dressing keeps everything from becoming too heavy. That sweet-salty contrast is what gives this salad its personality.

Why Use Both Red and White Cabbage?

The two cabbages bring slightly different textures and give the salad more visual and structural contrast. Because the recipe uses only 50 gr of each, neither becomes dominant. Together they create a crisp base that can hold up to the apple, cheese, nuts, and dressing without wilting immediately.

The Perfect Bite

A good forkful should give you cabbage and apple first - cool, crisp, and fresh. Then comes the Pecorino, followed by walnut and the slight sharpness of the radish. The lemon and vinegar should keep the whole thing lively, while the olive oil softens the edges without weighing it down.

More Fresh Italian Recipes to Make

If you like salads built around texture and good produce, our Panzanella takes stale Tuscan bread, ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, basil, and olive oil in a completely different direction. For something a little more substantial but still vegetable-led, try our Cecina, a Tuscan chickpea flatbread with rosemary and baked cherry tomatoes. And if you want another recipe where Pecorino plays a stronger role, our Pici Pasta Sauces includes a Cacio e Pepe made with Pecorino Romano and black pepper.

Learn Italian Cooking with Mama Florence

Recipes like this are a reminder that Italian cooking is often as much about balance as technique — knowing how something sweet, salty, bitter, crisp, and acidic can work together without one ingredient taking over.

You can explore more seasonal dishes in our Cooking Classes in Florence at Mama Florence Cooking School, cooking alongside our chefs and working directly with the ingredients on the table.

 

Apple, Pecorino and Cabbage Salad FAQ

Q: What is in this apple and cabbage salad? A: The recipe uses red cabbage, white cabbage, apple, Pecorino, celery, walnuts, radishes, red vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.

Q: How long should the radishes soak? A: Soak the sliced radishes in the warm vinegar and sugar mixture for 15 minutes.

Q: Why do you put lemon juice on the apple? A: The lemon juice helps prevent the sliced apple from darkening while the rest of the salad is prepared.

Q: What cheese is used in this salad? A: The recipe uses 80 g Pecorino cheese, cut into flakes.

Q: Can I make the dressing ahead? A: You can prepare the vinegar mixture and dressing in advance, but I would dress the salad closer to serving so the cabbage and apple keep their crunch.

Q: Is this salad vegetarian? A: Yes. The recipe contains cheese but no meat or fish.

Q: What can I serve with this salad? A: It works well as a light meal or alongside other vegetable-led dishes such as Panzanella or Cecina.

Disclaimer

Please note that our chefs may adapt recipes according to seasonal ingredient availability and participants’ dietary or allergy requirements. As a result, the ingredients, preparation, or presentation shown in this recipe may vary from what you prepared during your Mama Florence class. In some cases, elements of a dish may also appear as separate recipes — for example, the fresh pasta you prepared may be paired here with a different sauce, while the sauce from your class may appear in another recipe. Please reach out to our team if any confusion arises. Thank you — the Mama Florence Family.

Reviews

4.8 10 reviews

1. Out of season it is a different dish. I made it in winter with what I could find and it was fine, but not the same. I tried it again in July with proper market vegetables and finally understood what it is supposed to be. Wait if you can.

   Lena F.

   Stuttgart, Germany · June 2026

2. Took me twice the stated time because I am slow, but the result was right.

   Paul D.

   Minneapolis, USA · April 2026

3. Cooked it for eight and most of the work happened the day before, which is exactly what you want when you are hosting.

   Allison W.

   Providence, USA · February 2026

4. Cut them thinner than I normally would, as instructed, and the texture was completely different in a good way.

   Anna W.

   Berlin, Germany · November 2025

Show all 10 reviews