COLESLAW SECRETS
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – Best Of The Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 38). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]
WHEN YOU MAKE COLESLAW the way the restaurants do, keep in mind a few simple steps that will promise you a stunning success every time! For instance, if you like the small, confetti-sized pieces of cabbage, hand-chopping is the best way to prepare it; even though, it takes a little time and patience.
Slice the cabbage into strips, roughly 1/4” thin, and the strips into smaller pieces. If you want it to be smaller but still crunchy then grate the cabbage on the largest hole of your vegetable grater.
If you want it “minced” in a hurry – cut the cabbage into marshmallow-sized chunks, fill a blender half full of water and drop the cabbage chunks in until the water is displaced within an inch of the top of the blender container.
Use an on/off agitation, on high speed, about 8-10 times to mince the cabbage. Don’t over-do it on the speed or you’ll have “mushed” instead of “minced.” You can always put the cabbage and water back into the blender to make smaller; but once you have over-minced it, you can’t fix it.
Dump the whole thing into a fine mesh sieve or colander to drain. Prepare the cabbage to your liking; then, soak it in milk (just enough to cover sufficiently) and add about ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon salt for every 6 cups of cabbage (or about half a head.)
When the sugar and salt mixes with the cabbage and milk, it softens it just enough that in an hour or so you can drain the liquid off, add your favorite dressing and the texture is perfect!
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