When life gives you cabbage...

Make coleslaw!

I had another head of cabbage in my fridge (after making this coleslaw last weekend), and although I have two old standby coleslaw recipes that I love, I thought I'd try something new to accompany our hot dogs on Labor Day. I tried a recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (a Costco find):

Creamy New York Deli Coleslaw

1 head cabbage (2 lbs) cored and shredded, (12-14 c)
salt
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (can substitute celery seeds)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Hellman's light)
2T white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar (I used the tiniest pinch)
pepper
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 small onion, minced
(I added thinly sliced red bell pepper)

Toss cabbage with 1 tsp salt and allow to sit in a colander for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

Meanwhile, toast the caraway seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Rinse the cabbage, then pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.

Whisk the toasted caraway seeds, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, sugar, and 1/4 tsp pepper together in a bowl large enough to hold the salad.

Add the cabbage, carrots, and onion and toss. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste.



According to the Test Kitchen, salting and draining the cabbage keeps the slaw from getting water-y in your fridge. By the time I decided on this recipe, I didn't have enough time to drain for an hour, so my cabbage drained for about 25 minutes. I also didn't have time to chill it before serving, and we had no leftovers (except for that little container, above, which I set aside at the last minute so I could photograph it!) so I didn't get to check the wateriness.

I made a bit less of the dressing - just measured everything about 1/4 short - and there was plenty of dressing to coat the cabbage. I'm not fond of my slaw swimming in mayonnaise-y dressing, and this was perfect.

The Verdict:

We loved this coleslaw and I can see making it again and again.


{update}
I did make this again, and this time I remembered to take a picture (below). The caraway seeds are missing, because I add them to my serving only (my husband thinks they taste bitter).