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Wednesday, November 1, 2006

not your mama’s coleslaw

a forgivable act of mayo

Look, I understand that it’s too in the day early to start talking about mothers. And, at the age of 30, when I say mother, what I really mean is “me, sooner than later” so it sounds a particularly ill-chosen term, not to mention that my mother is a wonderful cook, as is my husband’s mother as was her mother and… what I really actually mean is “this is not your (fill in the blank) deli’s/lunch room’s typical, watery/soggy/oily/white/mysterious two-ounce Solo container of forgettable and soon-to-be-chucked coleslaw.” But that makes for a terrifically bad headline.

Like most of us, I’ve never been a fan of coleslaw, as nearly every one I had ever tried was god-awful. I thought it was because I didn’t like cabbage, but this has turned out not to be the case. Then I thought it was because I didn’t like mayonnaise, but this, too, turned out to be a farce. (An aside: have you ever made mayo? It’s really easy! We should totally do it some time.) As it turned out, it was coleslaw, the way it is typically prepared (read: scooped from bucket of mysterious origin and packing date), that I loathed. Ding, ding, ding; we have winner!

coleslaw, bettered

As is an all-too-common theme on this site, Ms. Contessa saved the day with her fresh take on everything you’ve grown bored with. Don’t think coleslaw, think cabbage salad. Don’t think white, as these pictures show it to be anything but. Soggy? No, the trick is to keep the dressing and the veggies separate, as you would with any other salad. Dull? Heck no. Forgettable? Anything but, though you’ll have to try it for yourself to believe me. Now, the recipe does makes an excessive volume of dressing, but it keeps forever (or, as long as that jar of mayo does), and doubles excellently as a dip for raw veggies. In addition, cabbage, when bought fresh, keeps for weeks and week in the refrigerator. (I wasn’t going to bring this up, but we used a half-head to make this in June, and in August, found the remainder wrapped, flawless, unbruised and age mark-free, in the back of the crisper. I’m going to leave the jury out on whether we dug in.)

also, sometimes i buy myself flowers

And yes: This is my first crack-pot-crazed attempt at partaking in the NaBloPoMo-madness. I can’t make any promises, except that I will try, with the following caveats: If I find that the quantity of posting dilutes the quality, presuming there was any to begin with, or if a windfall of an actually-paid freelancing gig comes through, I’m probably copping out. But, to make it to the end, I’m going to need a cheering section, as well as occasional requests for recipes and for that, I’m looking at you, kid.

Ina Garten’s Cole Slaw

Updated forewarning: This makes quite a bit of slaw, even when you use the tiniest of cabbage heads. It also makes way more dressing than I at least personally would ever put on my slaw. However, the dressing keeps for at least a month (longer, even, but I hate to admit how long we’ve kept it in use) and makes an excellent dip for vegetables. The shredded cabbage mix keeps as well–sans parsley, which has a shorter lifespan–probably for close to a week pre-dressing. That said, don’t be afraid to scale the recipe back if you’re only feeding a few.

1/2 small head green cabbage
1/2 small head red cabbage
4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled
2 cups (16 ounces) good mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Cut the cabbages in half and then in quarters and cut out the cores. Set up the food processor* with the slicing blade (according to manufacturer’s instructions) and place the pieces of cabbage, one at a time, lying horizontally in the feed tube. (If they don’t fit, cut them to fit lying down.) Place the feed tube pusher on top and turn on the processor. Don’t push on the feed tube pusher or the slices will turn out too thick! Continue with the remaining red and green cabbage quarters. Transfer into a large bowl, discarding any very large pieces. Before you pour the dressing on the salad, save a handful of the grated vegetables to decorate for serving.

Change the slicing blade for the large shredding blade and cut the carrots so they also lie down in the feed tube. Since the carrots are hard, replace the feed tube pusher and press firmly with the food processor on. Transfer to bowl with the cabbages.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, both mustards, vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Pour enough mayonnaise dressing over the grated vegetables and toss to moisten well. Add parsley and toss together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.

* Though I try not to wax too poetic about kitchen appliances and gadgets, as not everyone has the same registry loot as we’ve been lucky enough to amass, and also, I mean, mixing and chopping things by hand was good enough for our grandmothers, right? Still, this is one of those recipes that if you have a food processor, more importantly one with a slicing and grating blade, it will cut your prep time by 75 percent. If you have one, use it; you’ll thank me.

Filed under: Gluten-Free, NaBloPoMo, Photo, Recipe, Salad, Savory | Bookmark | Print | Email | 39 Comments


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