Cabbage, Currant, and Chorizo Slaw

This dish we had at Bar Salute in Greytown, NZ was so good, I had to re-create it as soon as we got home! Unfortunately, I forgot to finish this post about it until now. It's so sweet and crunchy, and filling, because of the chorizo... a perfect light winter dish, because cabbages keep so well through the winter, and lemons are in season. In New Zealand, the lemons taste slightly different than our lemons, with a hint of orange, so I used a bit of orange juice to reproduce this flavor.

2 fresh chorizo links
1 cup water
2 Tbs olive oil

1 pound cabbage (about half a medium head)
1/2 small red onion
2 Tbs fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
2 Tbs. black currants
Juice of one lemon
Juice of one quarter orange
1 tsp honey
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of ground coriander
Salt and pepper to taste

Set the chorizo links in a pan with the water and olive oil over medium heat. Boil until the water is evaporated, turning the sausages over halfway through. Fry until the sausages are browned on both sides, then set aside. When cool enough to handle, slice the chorizo in half crosswise, then slice each half lengthwise into about 6 long pieces.

Slice the cabbage and onion into very thin ribbons. Chop the cilantro leaves roughly, and toss with the chorizo, cabbage, onion and currants.  Mix the lemon juice, orange juice, honey, cloves and coriander to make dressing. Toss with salad, season with salt and pepper, and serve.