Poor Richard’s Almanac

Coleslaw sees red. January 13, 2013

Red cabbage and red onion, that is. Silence Dogood here, continuing my series of winter coleslaw recipes. This one is easy, very quick to make but very good and hearty, just right to accompany a warming winter meal. Mac’n’cheese, anyone? I call it Royal Coleslaw because both red cabbage and red onions are actually royal purple.

Silence’s Royal Coleslaw

1 head red (purple) cabbage, shredded, or 2 packages pre-shredded red cabbage

1 large red (Spanish) onion, diced

1 container crumbled blue, Gorgonzola, Roquefort, or feta cheese

1 tablespoon caraway, fennel, or cumin seeds, or to taste

fresh-cracked black pepper, to taste

salt (we like RealSalt), to taste

extra-virgin olive oil

bunch scallions (green onions), chopped (optional)

To make the slaw, mix the shredded red cabbage and diced red onion. Add the seeds of your choice, black pepper, and salt, mixing a second time. Add enough olive oil to coat the mixture. Gently add the crumbled cheese (if you prefer a milder flavor, use feta; otherwise, go for one of the others, which I prefer, as they stand up well to the red cabbage and red onion), tossing to mix. Taste and adjust seasonings, olive oil, and etc. as needed. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to blend. If you’d like to add a splash of contrasting color, just before serving, sprinkle chopped scallions (including both the green and white parts) over each serving like confetti. Enjoy!

Note: This slaw is robust enough to stand up to considerable experimentation. You could add a pinch of chipotle powder to give it some heat, or a pinch of ground clove, cinnamon, or garam masala to add an exotic depth of flavor. (But in all these cases, just a pinch, please.) You could add fresh-squeezed lemon juice to give the slaw an acidic touch (which probably sounds awful but in fact perfectly complements the olive oil and crumbled cheese). You could add fresh-squeezed orange juice or golden raisins for a note of sweetness. You could even add diced pickled red beets to up the royal color scheme and add rich earthiness to the flavor. See what variations work best for you and your family, and have fun!

‘Til next time,

Silence