November 14, 2009 | Salads

Many of you might think of cole slaw as a summer salad that you take to picnics and cookouts, and certainly it pairs well with a great pulled pork barbecue (note to self: make that as soon as I get my pig from the farm next week). But since cabbage is a cool weather crop, I seem to get most of mine from my farm in the latter part of fall, and they last a long time in the refrigerator, meaning I can make cole slaw with fresh organic cabbage well into the winter.
As I’m working on the cookbook for the farm I found that we had a ton of slaw type recipes, but none that was your basic cabbage based cole slaw with a more traditional mayonnaise based dressing. So I developed this recipe to fill that gap.

Start with a head of purple cabbage…

…and cut a quarter of it and remove the core in the center as I’ve already done in this photo.

Use a knife or a mandoline to thinly slice the cabbage.

Repeat with a head of green cabbage.

See the core on the top right? If you lay this piece on its side and use a knife to cut a V slice and remove it. I haven’t yet mastered those incredible photos that you see on some blogs with both of my hands in the shot or I’d demonstrate for you!

And shred this one too.

Just because I have a ton of carrots from the farm, they are supposed to be good for me, and I thought the 3 colors would be pretty, I used shredded carrots in my slaw. Rest assured you can make this with one type of cabbage, a mix of two types, or adding carrots – whatever you have on hand that appeals to you. Start with a small amount of vinegar in the dressing and add more if you want it tarter (is that a word?). Same with the mustard – you can omit altogether if you don’t want that flavor, or add more if you want a pronounced mustard taste. Finally, let it sit for awhile for the flavors to meld before digging in. Not sure what to have with this? Try my fish tacos!

Tri Color Cole Slaw
Serves 6-8

1/4 head green cabbage, shredded
1/4 head purple cabbage, shredded
4 medium carrots, shredded
1/4 to 1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. poppy seeds, optional

Toss cabbage and carrots together in a large bowl and set aside. In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine all remaining ingredients, cover, and shake well to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more vinegar if you desire more tartness. Toss dressing with vegetables, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. May be kept in refrigerator for up to 3 days although the cabbage will soften with time.