Instructions: Pull off and discard the bruised cabbage leaves. Rinse cabbage and thinly slice.

In a large bowl, mix 6 tablespoons rice vinegar, sugar, horseradish, red onion, and ginger. Add cabbage and then salt to taste; mix well. For mellower flavor, let salad stand at least 10 minutes, then mix again.

Rinse the pears, and core them. Coarsely chop 1 pear and mix with salad. Slice remaining pear, moisten with a little rice vinegar, and arrange on salad. Sprinkle with chives.

This recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.

Comments: Flaunting the hue of certain red vegetables is simple if you know what turns it on. The red in cabbage and onions is enhanced by acid, like that in vinegar, fruit juice, and wine. Without acid, red cabbage and onions turn purple-blue as they stand; when cooked, cabbage gets bluer, onions fade. The dressing in this recipe makes a salad brilliant.

You can substitute green cabbage, white onions, and yellow- or green-skin pears. If making up to 1 day ahead, cover and chill.

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