How old were you before you realized coleslaw was not spelled “coldslaw?” I can’t say my exact age, but it may have been after I became an adult. I’m willing to bet many readers of this column were in the same boat (or did some of you just learn it with the opening paragraph?). I’ve seen it misspelled on restaurant menus, and a good chunk of people pronounce it “coldslaw.”
We didn’t have to worry about the proper spelling of coleslaw as kids because many of us tried to put as little of it on our plates during summer grill-outs or picnics. We would rather have two hot dogs, an extra helping of potato chips or sneak in a double dessert.
Can we really blame many people for leaving it off of their plates? The crimes committed against coleslaw could fill this entire newsletter, but here are the biggest offenses.
Calling it “coldslaw” might make sense if it was cold when served. This is unfortunately not the case with many experiences I’ve had. Oftentimes, it is room temperature, or even worse, slightly warmed by the hot summer sun at some potluck picnic at the park. No thanks.
While the last few decades have brought us many culinary conveniences, the ready-cut coleslaw mix in bags is something that should only be used in the most dire of circumstances. Just because you checked the bag, and it hasn’t passed the expiration date doesn’t make it a good idea. Fresh is always best. From a cost standpoint, you can buy regular cabbage, red cabbage and some carrots for almost the same price and quadruple the amount of coleslaw. Besides, a little chopping won’t kill you.
Another super common crime is overdressing the cole slaw. We have all looked into the Tupperware sitting on the picnic table staring at a pool of liquid at the bottom of the bowl — a sign that the cook put far too many globs of dressing on the veggies and/or dressed it the day before. Its culinary cause of death? Suffocation.
The last one I will mention is the sweetness levels. Perhaps in a desperate move to provide both a salad AND a dessert at the potluck, the person throwing together the coleslaw brought way too much sugar to the equation. A bit of sweetness is called for in coleslaw, but only in the right balance with other flavors.
It’s time to redeem this once glorious summertime classic. A perfect coleslaw should be fresh, cool and still have a bit of crunch with a sauce that provides the right ratios of tangy, acidic, herby, a bit of sweet and creamy. That’s where this recipe comes in that allows you to have a vegetable pairing with the carnivorous offerings from your grill or some other fair-weather feast.
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is the use of celery seeds. It isn’t an ingredient I remember in our spice cabinet, but it brings these tiny morsels of texture and, not surprisingly, the taste of celery that goes well with the other flavors. I always sneak in a little bit more on top when serving after it has also been added to the dressing.
A little more about that dressing: To prevent the crime of overdressing, I intentionally shoot to slightly underdress and apply the sauce about one hour before eating the dish. As soon as you apply the dressing, the acid and salt will start to draw out the water from the veggies. You want these ingredients to have a bit of time to marry, but they should not be assembled too far in advance or you will have something that is heading to sauerkraut territory.
Since I do all the chopping of vegetables myself, I make sure to get the cabbage and carrots finely shredded, so an hour with the dressing is perfect. If your chopping skills are less honed or you opt for the stuff from the bags that can be chunkier, you may need a bit more time when the dressing has time to work its magic with the veggies.
Keep everything cool in the refrigerator right before serving and your guests will renounce all other summer side salads. Once you have mastered this as a side, you could think of other ways to enjoy this crunchy and creamy dish, including using it as a topping sandwiched between a bun and some barbeque pulled pork or a fried chicken or fish sandwich.
Wide Open Table is a bi-monthly Montana Free Press column on all things food and cooking. Sign up for this newsletter here.
COLESLAW RECIPE
One cabbage (For color, I use half green cabbage and half red cabbage)
Two carrots
4-5 scallions
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon mustard
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Few dashes of hot sauce
Chop your cabbage, scallion and carrot. I use a mandolin to make matchsticks from the carrot, and use a large chef’s knife and cutting board for the cabbage and scallion. Finely mince the fresh dill. Place all of this in a large bowl and put back into the refrigerator to keep cool.
Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt, sugar, celery seed, cracked black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl and mix well. If you aren’t going to consume the coleslaw soon, you can put this into the refrigerator, as well.
About 15 minutes before the coleslaw will be eaten, add the dressing to the coleslaw veggies and mix well. At first, it will not seem like enough dressing. This is the way to do it, though. Let it hang out for 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator before serving. The salt and acid in the dressing will draw out a bit of the moisture and start to break down the vegetables.
After one hour (or longer if your veggies are chunkier), you will have a cold, perfectly dressed, crunchy coleslaw with the right mix of creaminess, herbiness, brightness and seasoning. Taste for salt, pepper, and acid levels and adjust according to your tastes. You can top it with more chopped scallion, fresh dill and a sprinkle of celery seed, according to your preferences.
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