There are folks who swear by creamy coleslaw, and folks who prefer vinegar-based. If you’re exclusively a creamy-coleslaw kind of person, you can look the other way, but you’ll be missing a treat.
I’d like to share a recipe for my mother’s coleslaw. When I was in high school, my dad used to take his boat to Lake Erie and bring home a lot of perch. A lot. We usually ate fried fish once a week with French fries and this yummy coleslaw. You can make a big batch and freeze it for later meals. I’ve taken it to a lot of church dinners, and it’s been a popular recipe.
Mom used to chop up the vegetables in small batches using her blender. She covered the veggies with water, which she then poured off when the blender had done its job. It was time-consuming and messy. I use my food processor. It’s done in a snap.
I suggest that if you can get a piece of red cabbage, add it. It makes a colorful and festive-looking coleslaw.
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Ingredients:
1 large head of cabbage (optionally mix in some red cabbage for color)
2 carrots
1 green pepper
Grate the ingredients. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of salt; mix together. Let it stand for one hour while the salt pulls the liquid from the vegetables. Squeeze the brine out and drain.
Bring to a boil:
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon celery seed
¾ cup water
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
Cool the liquid. Pour over the grated vegetables and mix well. You can serve it now, or pack it into plastic containers for freezing. I like to pack it in Ziplock bags with just enough in each bag that my family will eat at one meal. It keeps frozen and is delicious for up to a year.
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To serve the frozen coleslaw, you can let it thaw on the kitchen counter, or you can serve it half-thawed. The icy coleslaw is a treat on a summer day. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family has, over the years.