How To Make Coleslaw
I have said this numerous times to friends and family – nothing brings folks together like a slaw. It was invented by a Dutch guy named Cole who was a stand out fellow. He made a salad that everyone raved about. He had a funny accent though so folks thought he called it a slaw – odd, but hey funny things happen. Everyone loved getting together and eating. Hence – the famous adage “nothing brings folks together like a slaw”. Our next post is about all about a bridge that our family is selling in Brooklyn, but more on that later.
How To Make Coleslaw – Mix It Up
A slaw of any kind is a great addition to any meal. A kohlrabi slaw is powerful and a brussel sprout slaw is tasty, but the mother of all slaws – coleslaw – is not just the mother of all slaws … it is the daddy! The trick to this slaw is the cabbage. Using a single cabbage or a mix is up to you. The further trick to the cabbage is to make sure your cabbage is thinly shredded. Fat cabbage does not a good slaw make. Think paper thin and bite sized. A box grater will do the trick or even a mandoline.
How To Make Coleslaw – All The Other Stuff And Some Dressing
When you consider how to make a coleslaw, you could stop after the cabbage and jump right to the dressing. Nothing says that there needs to be anything beyond cabbage in a coleslaw. Look back at old coleslaw recipes and you will see – cabbage and dressing – that is it. That seems so mundane and old school though. So, lets start listing all the great things that could be aded to a slaw. (insert list of favorite veggies here) There is cucumber, endive, pepper, tomato, yellow squash, cauliflower, apple (wait that is not a veggie but it would be nice in a slaw), broccoli, etc, etc, etc. You get the idea.
How To Make Coleslaw – Dressing
I like a mayonnaise-based dressing unless I know the coleslaw is going to be sitting in the hot sun at some poorly planned picnic. In that case, it is vinaigrette all the way, but I digress. It is a simple dressing of mayonnaise, vinegar and a dash of sugar that is best. I like to add some celery seed if I am feeling so lazy that I can not muster the strength to chop up a stalk or two of celery. Celery seed is also perfect when serving those who love celery taste, but hate celery texture. Celery root works well for that, too.
How To Make Coleslaw – The Food Safety
No – really. Don’t make a mayonnaise-based slaw and bring it to a picnic and let it sit in the sun. That is a food safety issue waiting to happen. Nix the mayo and whisk in olive oil instead. Of course, better to just have appropriate storage and serving conditions.
How To Make Coleslaw – The Video
The ‘How To Make Coleslaw’ video is below. The Full recipe follows.
- 1.5 lbs of finely shredded cabbage
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 medium cucumber
- 10 to 12 sweet cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/3 of a cup of apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp of sugar
- 1 tsp of celery seed
- Salt and pepper
- Peel and thinly slice the sweet onion.
- De-seed the pepper and slice it thinly.
- Dice the cucumber. Peeling and de-seeding the cucumber is optional.
- Quarter of the cherry tomatoes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and celery seed. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, mix all of the vegetables together. Dress the vegetables with the dressing. Mix well. Cover the coleslaw and place it in the refrigerator to chill.
- When the coleslaw is fully chilled, re-check the seasoning and serve cold.
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What do you put in your coleslaw? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook.
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