Baltimore Coleslaw

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
16 oz coleslaw mix (shredded red and green cabbage, carrot)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground jalapeno

Directions:
In a large bowl, toss together the coleslaw mix, celery and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, Old Bay, celery seed and mayo. Pour over the vegetables. Stir to evenly distribute. Allow to sit 20 minutes before serving.

My thoughts:

Honestly, Baltimore Coleslaw is a bit of a misnomer. As far as I know there is no quintessential Baltimore slaw. But I haven't met a native yet that doesn't love Old Bay (I think they send us home from the hospital with a tin tucked into our blanket) so it seemed fitting. For the second time I used a preshredded coleslaw mix. It worked well the last time and was on sale for only $1 a bag so I couldn't resist. You could easily substitute an equal amount of hand shredded cabbages and carrot. The Old Bay, celery seed and celery sort of meld into really fresh tasting new kind of coleslaw, one that is peppery and summery. The fairly equal mix of mayo and lemon juice keep it from being too thick or worse yet, gloppy.

Quick tip: I used my mandolin to slice the celery and onion very, very thinly.

Coleslaw for Pulled Pork Sandwiches (or for anything, really)

Ingredients:
16 oz coleslaw mix (shredded green and red cabbage and carrot)
1 small onion, sliced thinly

for the dressing:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seed
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon


Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth. Toss with the onion and coleslaw mix.

My thoughts:

I had never "cheated" and used coleslaw mix before but on this day I made pulled pork sandwiches made with Georgia-style homemade barbecue sauce, homemade baked beans, homemade rolls and a crumb cake, I felt justified in using some preshredded cabbage. Really the mix wasn't bad, it was very crisp which was a great foil for the tangy dressing I made. This is a super not-too-sweet-or-wet coleslaw that makes a great sandwich topper or side dish.

Deli-Style Coleslaw

Ingredients:
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 carrot, shredded
1 small onion, shredded


for the dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt
white pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, onion and carrot. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, toss to evenly distribute.

My thoughts:

When I was young, my family would go and get a take out order of coleslaw and fried oysters from Hasslinger's all the way across town. They've long since gone catering only so I am forced to make my own fried oysters. While I am normally not a huge fan of creamy salads, I make an exception for the occasional oyster and coleslaw pairing. To keep the coleslaw creamy but not too mayonnaise-y, I added some sour cream which also added a slight tang. I blame Hasslinger's for my lifelong love of celery seed, their coleslaw was studied with the seeds so there are lots of celery seeds in my slaw as well. Their flavor is just so distinctive and really pulls the other flavors together.

Zippy Coleslaw

Ingredients:
1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
4 carrots, peeled and grated
3 green onions, minced
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 pinch salt

Directions:

Mix the cabbage, the carrots and the green onions in a large bowl, set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, sesame seeds, and salt. Drizzle over the cabbage mixture, toss to incorporate. Allow to sit 1 hour before serving. Garnish with additional sesame seeds.

My thoughts:

When my husband lived in Austin, TX (long before he met me) he was obsessed with the coleslaw served at the Salt Lick, a barbecue place in Driftwood, Texas. Since the Salt Lick is 1,591 miles from Baltimore, we can't exactly pop over and pick some up to satisfy his craving. We're smoking some ribs tonight so he decided to recreate the slaw to the best of his memory. Now, I have never been to the Salt Lick so I can't testify to it's authenticity but I can say that it is one tasty slaw with out a drop of mayo in sight! Very crisp and well flavored with just a touch of spicy ginger.