Food is Love, Love is Food.

A blog devoted to the connection between meals, memories and the special moments in our lives.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

It’s beginning to feel a lot like summer! Beautiful sunny and warm days, the garden starting to show some promise, my window boxes beginning to bloom, a pool party and the first official barbecue of the season all say it’s so. One of the things I have come to love about summer is cole slaw. It is not something I grew up with; being Italian, we had pasta salad, green salads, there was even an attempt by my mother in the 1970s at the ‘three bean salad’ that everybody was into. Primarily, though, our salads were of the vegetable variety with dressings that were some variation on the olive oil and vinegar theme. So the discovery in my adulthood of cole slaw was a little earth shattering. I am not a huge fan of cabbage in general, so I assumed cole slaw was something I would never care for. Of course I had seen cole slaw and had even tried it, but I was never a fan because the slaws I had tasted were always something at a fast food restaurant or commercially produced. The were soggy and limp. Not until I had a homemade version was I sold. The combination of cool, crisp and creamy is perfect for the summer, and is especially good with something spicy. A simple homemade dressing on top of shredded cabbage and carrots is all you need for the perfect accompaniment to just about any summer cookout.

Cole Slaw:

6 cups shredded cabbage
1 large carrot, shredded
2/3 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
2 tbsp. white vinegar
¾ tsp. celery seed
¼ tsp. salt, or to taste

Place shredded vegetables in a large bowl for tossing. Whisk all other ingredients in a small bowl, then pour over cabbage mixture. Mix well and allow the cole slaw to sit for at least a short time in the fridge. Remember that the slaw will settle a bit as it sits. Serve cold and enjoy. Cole slaw is one of those salads that stores well, so it is good even the next day.

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